SAY PASSED AND CONTINUE
PROVIDING GREAT CARE FOR THE
FOLKS OF WISCONSIN.
>> SOME PHYSICIANS SAY THEY ARE
WARY ABOUT THE BILL AND WANT
MORE PATIENT PROTECTIONS,
INCLUDING OUR NEXT GUEST,
DR. DON LEE.
DR., THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WHY DOESN'T THE MEDICAL
SOCIETY SUPPORT THIS BILL IN ITS
CURRENT FORM?
>> WELL, FIRST, LET ME SAY I'M
JUST SO HAPPY TO BE HERE.
I'M PROUD TO BE A PHYSICIAN AND
PART OF IT IS JUST LETTING THE
PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE FOR
YOU REGARDLESS, THAT WE CARE
ABOUT PATIENTS.
I WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR SINCE I
WAS FIVE YEARS OLD AND LEARNED
HOW TO SPELL ANESTHESIOLOGIST.
MY DAD IS A PRACTISING -- WAS A
PRACTISING ANESTHESIOLOGIST AND
LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT AND
FELT MEDICINE WAS THE BEST
PROFESSION AND I WANTED TO
FOLLOW THIS FOOTSTEPS.
HE TOLD ME TO STUDY HARD, AND I
DID.
I'M HERE TO DEFEND OUR MEDICAL
PROFESSION BECAUSE WE SAVE LIVES
AND HELP PATIENTS.
>> AND SO ARE YOU SUGGESTING
THAT DOCTORS HAVE SUCH A HIGH
BAR TO BECOME A LICENSED
PHYSICIAN THAT IT'S NOT RIGHT
THAT THESE OTHER KINDS OF
REGISTERED NURSES, THE ADVANCED
PRACTICES REGISTERED NURSES
SHOULD HAVE PARITY?
>> NO, NOT AT ALL.
I WORK WITH ADVANCED PRACTISE
CLINICIANS WHICH INCLUDES
A.P.R.N.s, AND IT HAS BEEN
GREAT.
I ALSO WORK WITH RNs, AND
THERE'S NOT JUST A PHYSICIAN
SHORTAGE CRITICAL, BUT THERE'S A
CRITICAL NURSING SHORTAGE ALSO.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS IT'S HARD TO
COMPARE MEDICAL SCHOOL WITH A
MASTER'S DEGREE NURSE
PRACTITIONER AND IT'S HARD TO
COMPARE RESIDENCY, WHERE WE
DON'T SEE PATIENTS BY OURSELVES.
WE'RE IN AN ACADEMIC CENTRE
WHERE AN ATTENDING OVERSEES ALL
OF OUR WORK AND WE HAVE TO PASS
A MEDICAL LICENSE, STEP ONE,
STEP TWO, STEP THREE, TO EVEN
PRACTISE INDEPENDENTLY.
SO I DIDN'T PRACTISE
INDEPENDENTLY, IF YOU WILL,
UNTIL I WAS 32.
>> AND SO SUPPORTERS SAY
REQUIRING FOUR YEARS OF REAL
WORLD TEAM-BASED EXPERIENCE
INSTEAD OF THE TWO THAT'S IN
THIS BILL BOXES OUT ADVANCED
PRACTISE REGISTERED NURSES.
WHY IS THAT LEVEL, THAT FOUR
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, NEEDED, IN
YOUR MIND?
>> OUR POSITION IS TO REQUIRE
FOUR YEARS OF REAL-WORLD
TEAM-BASED EXPERIENCE BEFORE AN
APRN CAN PRACTISE.
WE SUPPORT NOT THE -- IF YOU GET
WHAT I'M SAYING.
LIKE WE HAVE MOVED IN SUPPORTING
INDEPENDENT NURSING PRACTISE
WITH MODIFICATIONS.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT PATIENT
CARE SAFETY IS AT RISK UNDER THE
PROPOSAL THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED
RIGHT NOW?
>> RIGHT.
SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF STUDIES
ABOUT COST AND QUALITY OF CARE,
AND I WANT TO CITE -- AND I WANT
TO CITE NATIONAL BUREAU OF
ECONOMIC RESEARCH IN NOVEMBER OF
2022, THE PRODUCTIVITY OF
PROFESSIONS EVIDENCED FROM THE
KNOWLEDGE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY
USE THREE YEARS OF VETERANS
HEALTH, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
VISITS, AND IT FINDS THAT NPs
USE MORE RESOURCES AND ACHIEVE
WORSE OUTCOMES THAN PHYSICIANS,
ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALING WITH
COMPLEX PATIENTS, BUT AS A
PHYSICIAN, ME PERSONALLY, I SEE
A PHYSICIAN AS MY PRIMARY CARE
DOCTOR.
MY DAD, IF HE HAS A PHYSICIAN,
BUT I GET IT, THERE'S A
PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE.
IT CAN TAKE THREE TO SIX MONTHS
TO SEE HIS PHYSICIAN SO HE SEIZE
AN APC, WHICH IS EARLIER, BUT
THAT ABC IS WORKING DIRECTLY
TOGETHER WITH A PHYSICIAN THAT
INTRODUCES HERSELF AS I WORK
WITH THIS PHYSICIAN AND THIS
BILL WOULD COMPLETELY UP END
THAT.
>> WHAT ABOUT THOSE
COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENTS?
YOU THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT?
>> I MEAN, IF I'M WORKING WITH
AN APC, I AND THAT APC IS GOING
TO WORK OUR BUTT OFF TO PROVIDE
THE BEST PATIENT CARE.
DOCTORS ARE NOT IN HEALTHCARE TO
SIMPLY MAKE MONEY.
THAT'S NOT WHY WE BECAME
DOCTORS.
AND SO THE VAST MAJORITY OF
PHYSICIANS WORK COLLABORATIVELY,
WORK WITH CARE WITH NURSE
PRACTITIONERS AND APCs TO HELP
PATIENTS.