Why is competition in healthcare a good thing?
There are some professions that suggest that certain tasks and skills should only be performed and interpreted by a particular profession, most often, of course, their own profession. A clear example of this is in the practice of medicine where physicians or physician special interest groups attempt to establish barriers for public access to qualified providers.

We agree with the following excerpt taken from a document developed jointly by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy and National Council of State Boards of Nursing.:

“4. Overlap among professions is necessary.
No one profession actually owns a skill or activity in and of itself. One activity does not define a profession but it is the entire scope of activities within the practice that makes any particular profession unique. Simply because a skill or activity is within one profession’s skill set does not mean another profession cannot and should not include it in its own scope of practice.”

Some in the medical profession claim that certain activities are a part of their specialty and therefore solely the “practice of medicine“. As mentioned above, because an activity is a part of the practice of medicine doesn’t mean that it can’t be a part of another profession’s activities. To illustrate this we offer an Attorney General’s opinion regarding this as it directly relates to electromyography and nerve conduction studies. A State Board of Medicine asked the Attorney General if electromyography constituted the “practice of medicine”. This is part of the Attorney General’s Opinion:

“You ask first whether the performance of needle electromyography is the practice of medicine, and falls within the scope of practice for licensed physicians.”
“The decision by the Board of Medical Examiners that needle electromyography constitutes the practice of medicine and is within the scope of practice of a licensed physician is a reasonable one. The decision by the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners that electromyography is within the scope of practice of a licensed physical therapist is a reasonable one. Insofar as electromyography constitutes the practice of medicine, the Board of Medical Examiners has the authority to regulate the activity. Insofar as electromyography is within the scope of practice of a licensed physical therapist, the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners has that authority. Accordingly, the development of any general rules regulating this activity would require the cooperation of both boards, and is not within the province of either board exclusively. Physical therapists would, in their practice, be governed by the rules of the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, doctors by those of the Board of Medical Examiners.”

In other words these activities can be in both practices.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission report “competition and health care.” The Chairman of the FTC is quoted as saying,” Healthy competition equals healthy consumers, Consumers want high quality, affordable, accessible health care, and the challenge of providing it requires new strategies. Vigorous competition promotes the delivery of high quality, cost effective health care.” The report also states, “ The American free-market system is built on the premise that open competition and consumer choice maximize consumer welfare - even when complex and services such as health care are involved”.