Is the Doctor-less Office the Future of Medicine?
To the Point
KCRW
4.4 • 583 Ratings
🗓️ 27 May 2015
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Twenty states have passed laws allowing nurse practitioners to perform duties usually reserved for doctors, without a physician's supervision. It's a boon for rural states where doctors are scarce, but MD's argue patient care suffers. It's just one aspect of the new direction medicine is taking towards lowering cost and taking advantage of higher tech alternatives, exemplified by such practices as telemedicine and remote controlled surgery.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point. |
| 0:08.2 | Is the doctorless office the future of medicine? |
| 0:14.6 | I'm Barbara Bogave sitting in for Warren Olney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International, |
| 0:19.3 | a daily look at the issues Americans care about most. Nebraska and Maryland are just the Point from Public Radio International, a daily look at the issues Americans |
| 0:20.9 | care about most. Nebraska and Maryland are just the latest converts to a growing trend in |
| 0:26.3 | health care, letting nurses perform such doctorly tasks as writing prescriptions, diagnosing, |
| 0:31.3 | and administering medical treatments without the oversight of a physician. The rise of the nurse |
| 0:36.4 | practitioner has brought relief to rural areas, suffering |
| 0:39.1 | doctor shortages, but many |
| 0:41.0 | MDs aren't buying in. They say it erodes |
| 0:43.2 | the quality of care and threatens patients' lives. |
| 0:46.6 | Also today, a dream deferred for both undocumented |
| 0:49.3 | immigrants and President Obama. |
| 0:51.5 | His executive actions on immigration have |
| 0:53.3 | hit another big roadblock. |
| 0:55.6 | First, the news. |
| 1:01.1 | Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel, |
| 1:04.8 | stream BBC World Service, NPRW programs, |
| 1:09.4 | continuous coverage on our mobile app or online at KCRW. |
| 1:17.4 | Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International |
| 1:23.3 | Program Fund. And this is To the Point on Barbara Bougain for Warren Allney. Just ahead, the |
| 1:29.3 | doctorless office. 20 states have passed laws allowing nurse practitioners to perform duties |
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