Midlevel healthcare providers seen as part of the solution

Walk into any health care facility these days, and inevitably a nurse practitioner or physician assistant is on hand to provide care. These professionals, who can diagnose and treat conditions and prescribe medications usually under the supervision of a physician, are increasingly being called upon to bridge the gap in a shortage of primary care doctors and will be needed to help care for an additional 30 million Americans with health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.