The idea of deprofessionalization involves lowering certain
government imposed requirements that individuals must obtain prior
to practicing in the industry. This can be done by offering different
third-party certifications rather than solely government imposed
certifications. These certifications, according to Svorny and Cannon,
“would allow innovative educational and certification programs,
nontraditional career paths, incremental expansion of clinician skills
and scopes of practice, and the creation of new categories of health
care professionals. The result would be better career opportunities
for clinicians and greater access to care for patients.” (Svorny &
Cannon, para. 3, 2020). While different responsibilities are taken
away from certified practitioners, one can argue that they were
overqualified to be doing such menial tasks anyway. With
deprofessionalization, tasks such as drawing blood can be passed on
to individuals who are right-skilled to draw blood. This frees up the
practitioner to focus their resources onto more important tasks.
Not only do resources become better allocated, deprofessionalization
creates more competition in the healthcare industry. Competition is
key for industry growth. Government licensing constricts
competition as each facility must meet the same level of high
standards, therefore leading to them performing at an expected level.
Giving facilities the opportunity to use third party certification may
allow for different configurations of care to arise. The Federal Trade
Commission comments on the benefits of competition; “Competition
in America is about price, selection, and service. It benefits
consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods
and services high.” (FTC, para. 3). Different configurations of care
become available as there are no more government imposed
regulations. The market ultimately decides which facilities will strive
in this new system. If America wants to follow a true ‘free market’
healthcare system, this is one way to do it!
It is hard to say if this approach will be ever taken in this country.
Personally, I like the idea and believe that the healthcare system
would benefit drastically from deprofessionalization. Epstein
proposes one argument discussing the topic of medical professionals
becoming obsolete. He writes; “The threat to the professional stature
of physicians became more direct now that management skills and
technical prowess progressed to the point where it made it possible
to standardize other tasks which were traditionally reserved for the
professional judgment of senior medical personnel” (Epstein, p. 68,
2013). The government has such a strong hold on the healthcare
industry that it is difficult to see them letting this happen. There are
many hurdles that must be taken prior to deprofessionalization
becoming a reality!
References
Svorny, S., &; Cannon, M. (2020, August 4). Health Care Workforce
Reform: COVID-19 Spotlights Need for Changes to Clinician
Licensing. Cato.org. Retrieved February 28, 2022,
from https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/health-care-workforce-
reform-covid-19-spotlights-need-changes-clinician-licensing
FTC. (n.d.). Competition Counts: How Consumers Win When
Businesses Compete. FTC. Retrieved February 28, 2022,
from https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_com
ments/preliminary-ftc-staff-report-protecting-consumer-privacy-era-
rapid-change-proposed-framework/00449-58010.pdf
Richard A. Epstein, "Big Law and Big Med: The Deprofessionalization
of Legal and Medical Services," 38 International Review of Law and
Economics 64 (2013).
