Healthcare Reform & the Role of the Physician Assistant National Credentialing Forum 2014 Tricia Marriott, PA-C, MPAS AAPA Director, Regulatory and Professional Advisory Services [email protected] PA Trends Over Time Number of Practicing PAs 1967 through 2013 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0Y Data sources include AAPA, PAEA,
NCCPA, and ARC-PA 93,000 EA 196 197 197 198 198 199 199 199 200 200 200 201 201 R 9 2 6 5 9 2 5 8 1 4 7 0 3 Currently there are The PA Profession has experienced double digit growth since its inception in 1967
181 accredited PA Programs. Another 60 are in the accreditation process. There are an average of 42.5 students in each graduating class producing over 7,000 newly certified PAs. There are 95,587 NCCPA certified PAs in the US as of December 2013. PAs ARE SKILLED HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND A GROWING FORCE On average, PAs are 40 years old, and female, have ten years experience practicing medicine with 7 years in their current specialty. PAs are trained as generalists, enabling them to more easily change specialties With a strong foundation in general medicine, PAs are able to adapt to changing healthcare needs. PAs ARE SKILLED HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
AND A GROWING FORCE PAs can be found in virtually every medical specialty in clinical and surgical medicine. PAs usually change specialty areas 2 to 3 times during their careers. Since 2006, the PA profession has grown 34% and is expected to continue growing. The number of physicians grew 15% from 2005 to 2012* * Source: JOURNAL of MEDICAL REGULATION, Federation of State Medical Boards, 2013, 2011 PAs PRACTICE MEDICINE Every year, a typical PA treats 3,500 patients. 80% of PAs provide acute care management
64% of PAs provide chronic disease management On average, physicians see ~4,700 patients a year* PAs perform a variety of medical and surgical procedures *Source: The Physicians Foundation, A survey of Americas Physicians: Practice Patterns and Perspectives, Merritt Hawkins, 2012 PA Profile: AAPA Survey 2013 Procedures Performed by PAs in the ICU Arterial line Central line
Endotracheal intubation Chest tube Thoracentesis 81% 79% 59% 61% 50% Spinal tap Swan ganz Paracentesis 43% 33% 28%
Balloon pump removal 25% Intracranial drain 15% Tracheostomy 11% PEG 9% PAs play a significant role as a member of the health care team in the practice of
medicine by performing a variety of medical procedures. PAs INCREASE AMERICAS ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE Nearly one third (32%) of PAs practice in primary care* the largest segment of which is family medicine (23% of PAs overall). A small but growing number of PAs are practicing in new models of care: 10% practice in patient centered medical homes. 3% practice in retail or freestanding urgent care facilities. *Note: Family with/Without Urgent, General, Peds OPPORTUNITIES, PROGRESS & CHALLENGES 2014 Health marketplace changes favor PAs
Affordable Care Act encourages teambased care Physicians embracing PAs as partners PA flexibility contributes to mobility and innovative models of care. Old (and new) laws and regulations continue to confound. Key Areas Credentialing & Privileging PAs Maximizing PA Utilization Reimbursement & Billing Policy Regulatory Compliance and Scope of Practice
Barriers to PA practice are falling 42 States & DC Made Positive Changes to State Law in 2013 Legislative Goals Full prescriptive authority Licensure as the regulatory term Scope of practice determined at the practice level No ratio restriction No co-signature requirement in
law Adaptable supervision requirements RI DE DC State made PA-positive changes to law in 2013 Veterans Health Administration 2013 VHA moved from supervision to collaboration PAs and their collaborating physician(s) determine the degree of autonomy the PA should have.
States that enroll PAs in their Medicaid Program RI DE DC States where PAs are enrolled in the Medicaid program (35) January 2014 CMS Challenges Conditions of Payment Conditions of Participation
Restraints Standard -use of LIP. Hospice Home Health DME Diabetic Shoes Medical Nutrition Therapy Hospital Admission Order & Certification (IPPS)
Supervision of Diagnostic Tests Defined in Interpretive Guidelines only. Definition does not align with the Joint Commission glossary definition which allows for delegation. Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) For the purpose of ordering restraint or seclusion, an LIP is any practitioner permitted by State law and hospital policy as having the authority to independently order restraints or seclusion for patients.
Licensed Independent Practitioner Term continues to create barriers, despite the Joint Commission glossary disclaimer. Licensed Practitioner, as allowed by state law and facility policy would be an appropriate substitute. In areas of the country where facilities have not yet utilized PAs, the LIP terminology leads them to believe PAs cannot provide care without physician present. The glossary disclaimer has not changed this. PAs DELIVER PATIENT-CENTERED CARE IN A TEAM ENVIRONMENT PAs work with an average of four physicians, three other PAs, and one NP. PAs report practicing on their own 70 80% of the time. PAs spend 20-30% of their time consulting with physicians.
86% of PAs report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their job. ***Source: The Physicians Foundation, A Survey of Americas Physicians: Practice Patterns and Perspectives, Merritt Hawkins, 2012 39% of Physicians Report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their job*** The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they dont play together, the club wont be worth a Babe Ruth
dime.
