Cost of health care is on the mind of many North Carolinians. Some in the nursing community argue that changing current law related to the patient care team would reduce costs. However, removing physicians from patient care would actually increase costs.
A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that nurse practitioners were 20 times more likely to overprescribe opioids than those in prescription-restricted states.
Other increases in health care costs when care is delivered without physician involvement include:
- X-ray ordering increased 441% among non-physicians;
- Non-physicians needed 2 times the number of biopsies to screen for skin cancer;
- Patients were 15% more likely to receive an antibiotic from a non-physician.
The NC Patient Safety Coalition is an alliance of medical professionals that advocate for physician-led health care that protects patient safety. Learn more on our website at www.ncpatientsafety.com, and follow us on X @NCPatientSafety and Facebook www.facebook.com/NCPatientSafety.