The allied health workforce, also commonly referred to as health workforce extenders or emerging health care professionals, generally includes all health care occupations beyond physicians, dentists or nurses; see the Allied Health Professions Personnel Training Act of 1966 and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Allied health professionals comprise nearly 60% of the health workforce and work collaboratively with other health professionals to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care. States set education and training requirements, licensure and certification requirements, the scope of practice and determine Medicaid coverage for allied health professions, as well as establishing recruitment and retention initiatives.