Brickbat: Volunteer Medicine

Article excerpt

Georgia's medical board has interpreted state law to forbid nurse practitioners from paying physicians for supervision, a ruling that could shutter clinics across the state. Nurse practitioners must legally practice under a doctor's oversight, but the Georgia Composite Medical Board says they can't compensate those supervisors. The result: physicians have little incentive to take on the liability, leaving clinics unable to operate and patients without access to care in underserved areas.