Current statutes grant broad, near-exclusive scopes of practice to a few professions and “carved-out” scopes for the remaining professions. These laws erect unreasonable barriers to high-quality and affordable care.The need for accessible health care calls for flexible scopes of practice that recognize the demonstrated competence of various practitioners to provide the same health services. Perhaps most seriously, regulatory bodies are perceived as largely unaccountable to the public they serve. The public’s perception of professionalism and its need for information about practitioners has challenged the structure and function of professional boards. These realities call for improved accountability through increased public representation and disclosure of practitioner information so that consumers can make informed choices about their care.
Leonard Finocchio, Catherine Dower, Theresa McMahon, Christine Gragnola
The PEW Charitable Trusts
December 1995
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