Scope Creep in Medicine
Scope of practice (SOP) expansion in medicine is a topic of ongoing legislative debate. Bills have been introduced in many states, proposing to redefine the boundaries of practice for various healthcare professions.
What is Scope of Practice Expansion?
As stated by Federation of State Medical Boards, scope of practice “is defined as the activities that an individual health care practitioner is permitted to perform within a specific profession.”1 The most debated and contentious proposals suggest that some physician-level responsibilities be extended to non-physician staff. Some bills suggest that non-radiologists perform some radiologist duties, such as image interpretation. As a teleradiology company, this is very concerning, which is why we found it important to blog about and share these links.
Our Recommended Reads
There is a lot more to blog about on this issue! This is an ongoing subject with developments continuing to unfold. For now, below are a collection of articles on the issue of scope creep that our staff finds informative. Please subscribe to our newsletter as we post more about #stopscopecreep (at bottom of this post).
Our Number One Pick:
The state-by-state breakdown of bill status in this one article is thorough, illustrative, and updated:
1. The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) state government affairs team has tracked more than 100 scope of practice (SOP) bills at the state level this legislative session. While state legislatures can move rapidly and members are reminded to check the ACR Policy Map, here are some of the SOP bills that the College is monitoring.
2. Bills to expand nonphysicians’ scope of practice ‘rampant’ across US (Radiology Business)
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has expressed concerns regarding potential negative impacts on patient care quality associated with expanding the SOP in radiology. Citing potential cost implications arising from misdiagnosis or complications, the ACR has launched a dedicated website to educate stakeholders on this issue.
3. AMA Advocacy Insights webinar series: Protecting patients from inappropriate scope of practice expansions (American Medical Association)
Webinar by Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD Chair, AMA Board of Trustees’ focuses on the specific difficulties states face when dealing with numerous legislative proposals for expanding SOP in medicine. The webinar explores strategies for overcoming these challenges and opportunities for physician advocacy.
4. They’re back: Wide array of scope creep bills proposed in 2024 (American Medical Association)
AMA played a significant role in defeating 100 inappropriate SOP bills in 2023 and continues to support state medical associations in educating lawmakers about the importance of physician-led teams.
5. What’s brewing in RT and RA legislation, policy, and standards? (AuntMinnie.com)
Evolving legislation and regulation at both the federal and state levels hold the potential to significantly impact the field of radiologic technology and registered radiology assisting. These changes may serve to bolster these professions, or conversely, create challenges and limitations.
6. What physicians need to know about scope of practice expansion with Kimberly Horvath, JD (American Medical Association)
Kimberly Horvath, JD, senior attorney with AMA’s Advocacy Resource Center, discusses SOP expansion in health care and the AMA’s efforts to address it on behalf of physicians at the state level.
7. AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians: Fighting Scope Creep (American Medical Association)
A site dedicated to empowering members by offering advocacy tools, issuing briefs, model legislation, state law charts and data modules.
Sources:
- https://www.fsmb.org/siteassets/advocacy/policies/assessing-scope-of-practice-in-health-care-delivery.pdf ↩︎
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