Brickbat: Volunteer Medicine

In Georgia, a new interpretation of state law could force many health clinics run by nurse practitioners to close. Under state law, nurse practitioners must practice under the supervision of a doctor. But the Georgia Composite Medical Board has ruled that nurse practitioners cannot pay physicians for that supervision. Nurse practitioners argue that many physicians will be unwilling to take on the responsibility without compensation, making it difficult or impossible for clinics to operate. The board says the current interpretation makes the doctor the nurse practitioner's employee, the reverse of what it says is required by law. But nurse practitioners say the change will reduce access to healthcare, especially in rural and underserved areas where nurse practitioner-led clinics often provide primary care services.

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