That chain you're outlining is part of the problem with health care in the US.
It's not just pharmacists or PAs, it's psychologists, optometrists, dentists... The problem is we have this over regulated system that doesn't recognize the actual capabilities of many in the system that could be doing a lot more than they are, we're it not for professional lobbying around turf.
There are huge unrecognized bottlenecks to care that have everything to do with inaccurate regulatory assumptions about who can do what, starting with the consumer themselves.
I get a little upset about the idea of triaging down a chain, because the triage chain itself is a flawed idea. I dream of a much more competitive system where people get drug advice from professionals based on those professionals' training and expertise, regardless of specific training pathway or background.
It's not just pharmacists or PAs, it's psychologists, optometrists, dentists... The problem is we have this over regulated system that doesn't recognize the actual capabilities of many in the system that could be doing a lot more than they are, we're it not for professional lobbying around turf.
There are huge unrecognized bottlenecks to care that have everything to do with inaccurate regulatory assumptions about who can do what, starting with the consumer themselves.
I get a little upset about the idea of triaging down a chain, because the triage chain itself is a flawed idea. I dream of a much more competitive system where people get drug advice from professionals based on those professionals' training and expertise, regardless of specific training pathway or background.