The nation’s largest physician organization, the American Medical Association (AMA), is supporting the Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act (HR 5295), because “patients deserve to know who is providing their care.”
The bill, introduced by Rep John Sullivan (R-Okla) and Rep David Scott (D-Ga), will ensure all health care professionals fully and accurately inform patients of their qualifications and training.
“Patients deserve to know who is providing their care and the Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act will help empower them with the knowledge they need to make an informed decision about who delivers their medical care,” said AMA President J. James Rohack, MD.
This bill will also help alleviate patient confusion over who is a medical doctor (MD/DO) and who is not. A nationwide survey conducted in 2008 found that there is increasing patient confusion about the many types of health care providers patients see during a medical visit—including physicians, technicians, nurses, physician assistants, and other allied providers. More than 90% of those surveyed said they want accurate information about who is providing their care.
“Many patients believe they are seeing a medical doctor when they are not, and research overwhelmingly shows that they want to know if their health care provider is a physician, a nurse, a technician, or another medical professional,” said Rohack. “Patients are demanding truth and transparency in the delivery of health care, and they deserve nothing less.”
