Diagnosing?
NO
Stationing ICE agents in the ER could fix this too.
It depends upon what the heck they mean by “incorporating them with an expanded scope into the community or hospital emergency departments,”.
Far too many drugs in the U.S. require a prescription to be dispensed. There are many minor ailments that a pharmacist should be able to dispense drugs for after hearing your symptoms that now require a visit to a doctor to get. If that’s what they mean then yes.
I travel internationally a lot and many countries don’t require prescriptions for common drugs. For example, in Dubai a few months ago I was able to walk into a pharmacy and ask for some blood pressure medication I was running low on, no prescription, they just sell it to you.
For medical advice I typically visit the returns counter at Home Depot.
The solution is Clinics within a short distance of every ER. That way, anyone who wasn’t insured for the ER or their insurance company wouldn’t pay could either pay up themselves or go to the clinic. It can’t work unless (1) neither hospitals nor pharmaceutical companies have any control over the clinics and (2) clinics have “low cost options” for all ailments. Then, if people aren’t insured or they think their co-pays are too high, they can choose for that. It would also be used by people who don’t want to poison their bodies with drugs, legal or illegal.
I’m already seeing this addressed through things like the Minute Clinic in CVSs.
They aren’t doctors they are called Nurse Practicioners, I think. They administer basic physicals, vaccinations, basic cold/flu diagnosis, referrals, etc
Want to solve the ER overcrowding crisis? Most of the overcrowding is caused by people on Medicaid who use the ER as their Primary Care Clinic. I’ve worked on and off in ER’s for most of my career. Add a $2 copay to their ER visit and most of them wouldn’t come in. Trust me, that’s all it would take.
Allow pharmacists to diagnose and treat? Will not end well.
“less students study medicine due to its difficult, long, expensive training”
No, they don’t study medicine because it isn’t profitable anymore due to government interference.