New Bill Would Make it Easier to
Find a Licensed Doctor
A new bill making its way through the
House of Representative aims to
eliminate the growing consumer
confusion over who is a licensed
medical doctor.
The bill is called the “Truth in
Healthcare Marketing Act of 2013”,
and its goal is to prevent healthcare
professionals from making false or
deceptive claims in regards to their
training or licensing. The bill also
applies to healthcare facilities that are
comprised of a variety of different
medical professionals. Providers must
clearly state the licenses and degrees
of its professionals, or they’ll be
subject to penalties under the Federal
Trade Commission Act, which protects
consumers against corporations who
profit from deceptive tactics.
“Patients…are understandably
confused by the increasing ambiguity
of healthcare provider-related
advertisements and marketing,” said
Matt Sturm, deputy director of
government relations for the
American Psychiatric Association.
Enlightening the Public
In the reasoning for considering the
bill, representatives noted two recent
surveys conducted by the American
Medical Association. Each survey had
850 participants, and it highlighted the
confusion among the general public
of who is a licensed doctor. Some of
the findings can be seen below:
When asked if chiropractors were
medical doctors, 38% of
respondents said yes, 53% said no,
and 9% were uncertain.
When asked is psychologists were
medical doctors, 49% said yes, 44%
said no, and 7% were uncertain.
In 2008, only 46% of people agreed
with the statement “It is easy to
identify who is a licensed [medical
doctor] and who is not by reading
what services they offer, their title
and other licensing credentials in
advertising or other marketing
materials.” That number rose to
51% in 2010.
Why so confusing?
Perhaps the biggest reason why
patients are confused is because
there is a growing use of professional
acronyms in the medical field. People
see acronyms like MD, DDS, MS, DC,
DPT and OD, and they can’t decipher
who is a doctor and who isn’t. Sturm
said he believes the bill will help make
credentials clearer for patients.
“There is clear data that patients are
confused about the level of training
for health professionals. We simply
think proper display of credentials in
marketing and advertising, making
licensure misrepresentation clearly
illegal, and beefing up enforcement
makes logical sense, said Sturm. “If
you were looking for mental health
treatment for yourself or a family
member, services that are potentially
sensitive and need to be carefully
managed, wouldn’t you like to know a
provider’s qualifications?”
The bill is expected to be voted on in
the coming months.
Dr. Silverman comments
Sometimes things are black and white,
and other times they are grey. One
thing that is clear is people need to
know with whom they are entrusting
their health care.
The title “doctor” lacks a specific
meaning since it applies to so many
different professions. Psychologists,
chiropractors, dentists and podiatrists
are all doctors, yet the title has
become diluted to the point that
people have no idea of each doctor’s
qualifications or training. The point of
this bill is to make it so doctors need
to tell you what kind of doctor they
are when they market themselves.
Some allied health providers believe
that this bill belittles their professions
and takes for granted all the work that
they do. Allied health providers do
amazing work and make up a huge
percentage of the healthcare
workforce. They are the primary care
providers and ancillary providers to
thousands of patients around the US
daily. They deserve respect for what
they do, but the solution in every case
of confusion is to provide the
knowledge so that people can make
educated choices.
The bill has merit and should be
considered. Its goals, those of
education not regulation, are noble. It
does not attempt to limit any one
providers’ scope. However, it is being
painted negatively. Instead of
embracing the spread of knowledge,
some believe it will create prejudice.
Nonsense. The solution to prejudice is
knowledge.
blog.anklefootmd.com/2013/04/26/new-bill-would-make-it-easier-to-find-a-licensed-doctor/

Laalamed: New Bill Would Make it Easier to
Find a Licensed Doctor
A new bill making its way through the
House of Representative aims to
eliminate the growing consumer
confusion over who is a licensed
medical doctor.
The bill is called the “Truth in
Healthcare Marketing Act of 2013”,
and its goal is to prevent healthcare
professionals from making false or
deceptive claims in regards to their
training or licensing. The bill also
applies to healthcare facilities that are
comprised of a variety of different
medical professionals. Providers must
clearly state the licenses and degrees
of its professionals, or they’ll be
subject to penalties under the Federal
Trade Commission Act, which protects
consumers against corporations who
profit from deceptive tactics.
“Patients…are understandably
confused by the increasing ambiguity
of healthcare provider-related
advertisements and marketing,” said
Matt Sturm, deputy director of
government relations for the
American Psychiatric Association.
Enlightening the Public
In the reasoning for considering the
bill, representatives noted two recent
surveys conducted by the American
Medical Association. Each survey had
850 participants, and it highlighted the
confusion among the general public
of who is a licensed doctor. Some of
the findings can be seen below:
When asked if chiropractors were
medical doctors, 38% of
respondents said yes, 53% said no,
and 9% were uncertain.
When asked is psychologists were
medical doctors, 49% said yes, 44%
said no, and 7% were uncertain.
In 2008, only 46% of people agreed
with the statement “It is easy to
identify who is a licensed [medical
doctor] and who is not by reading
what services they offer, their title
and other licensing credentials in
advertising or other marketing
materials.” That number rose to
51% in 2010.
Why so confusing?
Perhaps the biggest reason why
patients are confused is because
there is a growing use of professional
acronyms in the medical field. People
see acronyms like MD, DDS, MS, DC,
DPT and OD, and they can’t decipher
who is a doctor and who isn’t. Sturm
said he believes the bill will help make
credentials clearer for patients.
“There is clear data that patients are
confused about the level of training
for health professionals. We simply
think proper display of credentials in
marketing and advertising, making
licensure misrepresentation clearly
illegal, and beefing up enforcement
makes logical sense, said Sturm. “If
you were looking for mental health
treatment for yourself or a family
member, services that are potentially
sensitive and need to be carefully
managed, wouldn’t you like to know a
provider’s qualifications?”
The bill is expected to be voted on in
the coming months.
Dr. Silverman comments
Sometimes things are black and white,
and other times they are grey. One
thing that is clear is people need to
know with whom they are entrusting
their health care.
The title “doctor” lacks a specific
meaning since it applies to so many
different professions. Psychologists,
chiropractors, dentists and podiatrists
are all doctors, yet the title has
become diluted to the point that
people have no idea of each doctor’s
qualifications or training. The point of
this bill is to make it so doctors need
to tell you what kind of doctor they
are when they market themselves.
Some allied health providers believe
that this bill belittles their professions
and takes for granted all the work that
they do. Allied health providers do
amazing work and make up a huge
percentage of the healthcare
workforce. They are the primary care
providers and ancillary providers to
thousands of patients around the US
daily. They deserve respect for what
they do, but the solution in every case
of confusion is to provide the
knowledge so that people can make
educated choices.
The bill has merit and should be
considered. Its goals, those of
education not regulation, are noble. It
does not attempt to limit any one
providers’ scope. However, it is being
painted negatively. Instead of
embracing the spread of knowledge,
some believe it will create prejudice.
Nonsense. The solution to prejudice is
knowledge.
blog.anklefootmd.com/2013/04/26/new-bill-would-make-it-easier-to-find-a-licensed-doctor/

i think we need similar bill in nigeria to improve health care delivery. i know some medical lab scientists with phd who run medical tests and prescribe drugs.

I was about to jump for joy, then I discovered it was an American bill . We need bills like this to seperate the quacks from the professionals.

dominique: I was about to jump for joy, then I discovered it was an American bill . We need bills like this to seperate the quacks from the professionals.

this is what nma,nard,assopon,mdcn should be doing. sponsor bill that would protect doctors.