AAPA Releases Survey Showing Physician Support for Removing Barriers to PA Practice

Morning Consult Survey finds 86% of physicians agree PAs improve healthcare access

February 12, 2025

Today, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) released a new national survey, conducted by Morning Consult, that highlights physician support for PAs as a solution to provider shortages and access challenges. Morning Consult is a leading data intelligence company specializing in survey research.

AAPA commissioned the survey, Physicians’ Attitudes & Perceptions on Physician Associates, to discover areas of common ground to build on AAPA’s commitment to working with physicians and all healthcare stakeholders to improve patient access to care.

More than 8 in 10 (86%) physicians agree PAs expand access to care, and 90% say PAs are important to enhancing care delivery. In addition to these findings, more than half (55%) of physicians say removing barriers to PA practice would reduce patient wait times, and 68% of those who support modernizing PA laws believe doing so would help ease provider shortages.

“These findings confirm what providers on the front lines have known for years — outdated practice laws are actively limiting access to care,” said AAPA President and Chair of the Board of Directors Jason Prevelige, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, DFAAPA. “Physicians recognize the need for change. It’s time to modernize these laws so healthcare teams can focus on what matters most, patient care.”

Physicians Trust PAs to Deliver Safe, High-Quality Care
The survey also highlights strong physician confidence in the safety, effectiveness, and qualifications of PAs:

• The vast majority (82%) of physicians who work with PAs say they provide safe and effective care.
• More than 3 in 4 (77%) physicians who work with PAs agree that PAs are trained and qualified to oversee healthcare services and staff within their scope of practice.
• 77% of physicians who work with PAs agree that they provide cost-effective care, and another 78% recognize that PAs know when to refer or consult a physician or other provider.

At the same time, the survey exposes the growing strain on the healthcare system. Nearly half (47%) of all physicians report they don’t have enough time to spend with their patients. Further complicating patient care, 1 in 3 physicians say their patient load is unmanageable, and 1 in 7 report they are unable to accept new patients.

Survey Reveals ‘Physician-Led’ Care Model is Outdated
Additional findings shed light on how PAs and physicians working together and dispel myths about al how “supervision” functions in healthcare settings.

• 8 in 10 (83%) physicians report spending less than a quarter of their time monitoring the PAs they work with.
• Nearly two-thirds (63%) say they are never or rarely (a few times a year) present during PA-patient interactions.

“There is a fundamental disconnect between the general understanding of the word ‘supervision’ and how PAs deliver care,” AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables said. “While the word suggests constant oversight, in practice, it looks very different. It’s past time that the law aligns with true nature of the PA-physician working relationship and the realities of how modern healthcare teams operate.”

View a summary of the findings.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Methodology
On behalf of The American Academy of Physician Associates, Morning Consult conducted online interviews among a national sample of attending physicians holding either MD, DOs, or PhDs. 999 interviews were completed yielding a confidence interval of +/- 3% and research was conducted from January 2nd through January 15th, 2025. Confidence intervals are greater among subgroups of the overall sample.

(The degrees held among survey respondents includes the following: 909 MDs, 88 DOs, and 6 PhDs – with some respondents holding multiple degrees.)

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