July, 2023
Imposter Doctors is the second book from the co-author of Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare, Rebekah Bernard, MD, on the systematic replacement of physicians. If you were one of the lucky people who met Dr. Bernard and received a signed copy of her Patients at Risk book during the 2022 FSAPAC reception, you definitely do not want to miss Imposter Doctors. Imposter Doctors is an even more frightening exposé of patient endangerment at the hands of for-profit corporate entities and healthcare conglomerates.
The employment of non-physician practitioners has continued to skyrocket in recent years. While advocates insist that nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and physician assistants are ‘just as good’ as physicians, they are wrong. There is no conclusive evidence that non-physicians can provide the same quality of safe and effective medical care without physician oversight. In fact, recent studies have shown the opposite: the replacement of physicians puts patients at risk.
“We are all patients. Or, one day, we will be. As a patient, I want to be sure that an anesthesiologist in in charge of my anesthesia care,” said Dr. Bernard.
Aligning with Dr. Bernard’s messages in her books, the FSA continues to fight for the patients in Florida, ensuring that our physicians and care team provide the safest, most cost-effective model of anesthesia care: physician-led anesthesia care.
We must continue to inform and educate our patients on the care they receive and the true proper credentials of the healthcare “providers” involved in their care. We must all know the differences in education and training. We all must demand answers and changes from those who deprive us of physician-led care.
Sher-Lu Pai, M.D., FASA, SAMBA-F
FSA 2023 Assistance Treasurer
