While voicing its strong support for team-based care models, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners called the American Academy of Family Physicians "misdirected and out of step" because of the organization's call to have care teams led by physicians.
On Tuesday, the AAFP issued Primary Care for the 21st Century, a report stating that nurses and other healthcare professionals have a role in easing healthcare delivery shortages created by a lack of primary-care physicians, but that allowing nurse practitioners to practice independently would create two classes of care: one led by physicians and one led by "less-qualified" individuals.
The nurse practitioners group in a news release on Wednesday noted that the National Committee for Quality Assurance, URAC and the Joint Commission do not require physician leadership for the medical-home recognition programs they accredit.
