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AOA: Federal report a victory for patient care, safety
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The American Optometric Association supports the recommendations asserted in the 2018 Administration report, Reforming America’s Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition, which focused on actions to ensure the U.S. health care system delivers high quality and affordable care by promoting choice and competition, according to a press release from the AOA.
The AOA commends the report recommendation that, “states should consider changes to their scope of practice statutes to allow all health care providers to practice to the top of their license, utilizing their full skill set,” they wrote.
This collaboration of HHS and the U.S. Departments of Treasury and Labor cited a 2011 Institute of Medicine report stating that access to quality of care can be greatly expanded by increasing the use of allied health care professionals in primary, chronic and transitional care.
“In fact, research suggests that allowing allied health professionals to practice to the full extent of their abilities is not a zero-sum game for other medical professionals and may actually improve overall health system capacity,” according to the report.
The AOA considers this statement a victory for patient care and safety, which should remain at the center of all health care decisions, according to the AOA release.
“Restrictive state practice laws that are based on an antiquated perception of education and skills are holding patient care hostage, and it is only when we evolve these laws that patients will have access to the care they deserve,” AOA President Samuel D. Pierce, OD, said in the release. “Our health care system and technologies are advancing at an incredible pace, and the recommendations outlined within this report encourage our laws to do the same.”
For more information:
Reforming America’s Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition. Accessed December 20, 2018.