The concept of allied health professionals practicing in hospitals arouses the opposition of many in the medical establishment. What is the nature of this conflict, and how can it be resolved? This article gives an overview of the reasons that allied health professionals are demanding hospital privileges, as well as the reasons that such privileges are opposed by physicians. In the author's opinion, the medical establishment should learn to accept practice in hospitals by non-physician providers, and can expect considerable legal opposition if it does not.
The first problem is to define what is meant by “allied health professional.” Generally, the term is applied to any health care provider who is not in the “MOD” group, which traditionally has included medicine (MD), osteopathy, and dentistry, although pursuant to certain federal regulations podiatry also falls within the MOD group. Thus, in a general sense, “allied health professionals” means everyone else who directly provides health care services.