Tag: physician assistants

Maine Law Allows PAs, NPs, Midwives to Perform Abortions

When the bill goes into effect next June, Maine will be the eighth state to permit advanced practitioners to provide abortion services.

With the signing of a bill by Governor Janet Mills this week, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives gained the ability to provide abortion medication and perform in-clinic abortions in the state of Maine. The bill, which was introduced into legislation by the Governor herself, aims to expand access to reproductive health care for women across Maine, particularly for those located in rural areas.

“Allowing qualified and licensed medical professionals to perform abortions will ensure that Maine women, especially those in rural areas, are able to access critical reproductive health care services when and where they need them from qualified providers they know and trust. These health care professionals are trained in family planning, counseling, and abortion procedures, the overwhelming majority of which are completed without complications,” Governor Mills said in a statement released on Monday. “Maine is defending the rights of women and taking a step toward equalizing access to care as other states are seeking to undermine, rollback, or outright eliminate these services.”

When the bill goes into effect next June, Maine will be the eighth state—joining New Hampshire, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, New York and Oregon—to permit advanced practitioners to provide abortion services.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

VA Study Supports Advanced Practitioner Led Care

A new study has found no clinically important differences in patient outcomes, regardless of whether their provider is a physician, PA, or NP.

A study conducted by a Durham VA Health Care System has found that Veterans Affairs patients with diabetes have similar health outcomes, regardless of whether their care provider is a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.

Researchers examined the outcomes of more than 600,000 veterans with diabetes, a patient type that represents a large population within the VA, and who often have complex healthcare needs. Of the patients whose outcomes were studied, physicians were the usual provider for 77% of them, with the remaining patients under the care of a PA or NP. The researchers did not find any statistically significant differences in quality of care, nor any clinically important differences in patient outcomes, based on the discipline of the provider.

“Our study found that there were not clinically important differences in intermediate diabetes outcomes for patients with physicians, NPs, or PAs in both the usual and supplemental provider roles, providing additional evidence for the role of NPs and PAs as primary care providers,” said Dr. George Jackson, a research health scientist with the Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT) at the Durham VA Medical Center and author of the study.

A news release from the VA regarding the study goes on to state, “The fact that PAs and NPs had similar results for quality of care without sharing care with a physician suggests that using these providers in primary care may improve the efficiency of health care.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Report: PAs/NPs Provide Similar or Better Care than Doctors

A new report from a World Health Organization team indicates that non-physicians, such as PAs and NPs, provide comparable care to that of physicians.

Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, midwives, and other non-physicians deliver care that is comparable to or better than that provided by MDs, and are often more well-liked than physicians, according to a new report from a World Health Organization team.

It was noted in the WHO bulletin that they are especially effective in delivering babies, caring for AIDS patients, and helping people care for chronic diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure.

“While some physician groups have resisted wider use of such professionals, they should embrace them because they are often less expensive to deploy and are far more willing to work in rural areas,” the WHO experts are quoted as saying.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Rebranding of PA Title Moves Forward

The AAPA has announced they have selected a world-renowned branding firm to begin investigating rebranding the physician assistant title.

The AAPA has announced they have selected and retained WPP, a world-renowned research, branding, and communications firm, to conduct an independent investigation of the physician assistant title and suggest potential alternatives. This is a significant step forward in the PA Title Change Investigation, which was put to a vote earlier this year by the AAPA House of Delegates.

Given continued public confusion regarding what PAs can do, and as the position of assistant physician—which is constantly written online with the words “not to be confused with a physician assistant” following it—picks up steam, rebranding the physician assistant title to more clearly reflect the scope of the profession almost seems like an overdue initiative.

However, the process will be slow going, and the rebrand will be strategic—WPP is not expected to present an interim report on the Title Change Investigation to the AAPA’s House of Delegates until May of 2019.

What do you think of the possible title change?

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

APRNs and PAs Ranked Among Highest Paying Jobs in Healthcare

Advanced practitioners are enjoying advanced wages, and two spots on a new top ten list of the highest paying jobs in healthcare.

Advanced practitioners, such as Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Certified Nurse Midwives seem to be enjoying advanced salaries, according to a new top ten list of high paying jobs in healthcare from CNBC.

While the average annual wage for healthcare workers clocks in around $65,000—well above the median annual wage for all occupations in the U.S. of $37,690—advanced practitioners are seeing salaries upwards of $100k, landing them prime spots on the CNBC list.

Physician assistants ranked seventh, with a median annual wage of $104,860. Nurse anesthetists, midwives, and practitioners, collectively took fifth place, with a median annual wage of $110,930, and were outranked only by pharmacists, podiatrists, dentists, and physicians/surgeons, which took the top spot with salaries greater than or equal to $208,000.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Public Is Clearly Confused about PAs and NPs

As the primary care physician shortage looms, and PAs and NPs are constantly called “the answer,” it seems patients are unaware of what they can even do.

Advanced practitioners, particularly PAs and NPs, are often cited as the answer to the looming primary care physician shortage—an estimated deficiency of 49,300 primary care physicians in the U.S. by 2030, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. However, it appears there is a large amount of public confusion when it comes to the roles of PAs and NPs in primary care, according to a new study, which is to be published next month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

For the study, members of the U.S. public in all 50 states were surveyed between November 2017 and January 2018. Participants were asked questions regarding their knowledge of the abilities of physicians, PAs, and NPs to prescribe medications, diagnose illnesses, and order lab tests.

Of the 3,948 respondents, an undisputable majority knew physicians were able to prescribe medications, diagnose illnesses, and order lab tests. However, they were much less well-informed when it came to PAs and NPs. About half were unaware that PAs could prescribe and diagnose, and nearly a third did not know NPs could, and while a higher percentage were aware that PAs and NPs could order lab tests (66% for PAs, 74% for NPs), it was nowhere near the 97% who were aware of physicians’ ability to do the same.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Demand for Newly Certified PAs is Strong

Demand is high and the job market is strong for newly certified PAs, according to a new report by the National Commission of Certified Physician Assistants.

Demand for and the job market remain strong for newly certified PAs, according to new data released in the 2017 Statistical Profile of Recently Certified Physician Assistants by the National Commission of Certified Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

The robust report, which is based on survey responses received from 6,843 of the 8,788 PAs who obtained certification in 2017, aims to offer insight into the future of the PA workforce, as well as its current state.

Highlights from the report include:

  • On average, PAs made $95,000 as a starting salary in 2017.
  • Recently certified PAs are practicing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
  • The top states with the greatest number of recently Certified PAs are New York (902), Pennsylvania (699), Florida (567), California (548), North Carolina (440), and Texas (440).
  • 67.2% of respondents accepted a clinical position as a PA in 2017.
  • 77.4% of PAs who accepted a position received two or more job offers, and 79.3% of newly employed PAs indicated that they did not face any challenges when searching for a job.
  • 52.8% of recently certified PAs who have accepted a position work in a hospital setting and 29.9% are working in an office-based private practice setting.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Three Ways to Celebrate PA Week

Here are three ways to celebrate PAs, while also raising awareness of the profession’s significant impacts on healthcare, from October 6th through 12th.

National PA Week is an annual week-long event, from October 6th through October 12th, which aims to not only celebrate the profession, but educate the public in regards to the value PAs add to healthcare.

Here are three ways to celebrate, while also raising awareness.

Take to Social Media

Raise awareness for PAs by using the hashtag #PAWeek while you celebrate your profession and peers across social media, or better yet, share the AAPA produced “Your PA Can Handle It” video.

Get Political

Advocate for your profession on Capitol Hill by joining the only federal healthcare Political Action Committee (PA PAC) dedicated to advancing the PA profession. To learn more about or to join the PA PAC, please click here.

Make a Small Donation

A great way to make a difference for PAs nationwide is by making a small monetary donation to the PA Foundation’s Pay It Forward campaign. This is a great way to honor a peer or mentor, while also making a lasting impact.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

PA Salaries Increase, Top $100k on Average

The average annual PA salary increased nearly 3%, compared to the previous year, with a majority of PAs now earning a base salary of more than $100,000.

A new report from the AAPA released this month finds that the average annual physician assistant salary increased 2.9% compared to the previous year, with full time, salaried PAs (78.7% of the profession) now making, on average, over $100,000 annually. The report also found that PAs who are employed in a hospital setting are earning higher salaries, securing more leadership positions, and receiving better benefits than their counterparts employed by physician practices.

The 2018 AAPA Salary Report, which collected responses from 9,140 PAs, finds that while both hospital-based PAs and those employed by physician practices enjoy healthy salaries, leadership opportunities, and benefits, those in a hospital setting are earning more (base salaries of $107,000 versus $101,000 on average in 2017), hold more formal leadership positions (57.5% versus 28.2%), and typically receive more paid time off (20.0 versus 17.8 days of general PTO, 8.4 versus 5.0 days of sick PTO) than those based in physician practices. These two types of PAs account for 81% of all PAs, with physician practice-based PAs making up the largest group of the profession (46.1% of PAs), and hospital-based PAs trailing closely behind as the second largest group (34.9% of PAs).

As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the PA profession is projected to increase 37% from 2016 to 2026, which is well above the average for all occupations. These findings by the BLS, as well as the new AAPA report, indicate that as more and more barriers to PA practice are removed and the demand for non-physician providers grows, PAs can likely expect their employment opportunities, as well as their salaries, to continue to increase.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

From Physician Assistant to PA

“The word ‘assistant’ simply does not do justice to what PAs do in their practices these days,” says AAPA President Jeffrey Katz, PA-C, DFAAPA.

from AAPA

Discussions about the title of the PA profession are almost as old as the profession itself. In recent times, the issue has been debated at the House of Delegates (HOD) at least three times since 1998, including at the 2012 HOD, when a proposal to create a taskforce to consider the issue was ultimately voted down, and again in 2015. Numerous editorials have laid out arguments on all sides. But one thing that almost all PAs have always been able to agree on is that they are, well, “PAs.” And over the nearly 50-year course of the profession, the term PA has become widely recognized in the healthcare community and by patients.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.