Iowa Marks Major Milestone with Passage of Title Change Legislation
April 13, 2026
Iowa has become the fourth state to officially adopt title change legislation following Governor Kim Reynolds’ signature of HB 2269 / SF 2190 on April 9. This is a major milestone in the ongoing effort to modernize PA practice laws and ensure the profession’s title accurately reflects the critical role PAs play within healthcare teams throughout the country.
The new law updates Iowa statute to recognize “physician associate” as the official title for the profession and is a result of continued advocacy from the Iowa Physician Assistant Society (IPAS). With this change, Iowa joins Maine, New Hampshire, and Oregon who have enacted similar legislative changes in recent years.
“This legislation helps ensure patients clearly understand who is providing their care, and the level of education and expertise they bring,” said IPAS Legislative Committee Chair Jim Earel, PA-C. “The title ‘physician associate’ better reflects the collaborative role we play in modern, team-based healthcare, and we are proud to be among the first handful of states making this critical change. At the end of the day, title change is simple: same clinician, same law, clearer title.”
As the profession continues to grow in numbers, adoption of the physician associate title helps to better align the public understanding with the work PAs perform every day. Clearer, more accurate titles not only improve transparency with patients, policymakers, and other healthcare providers, but reinforce the profession’s critical role in delivering quality, team-based care.
“Iowa’s passage of title change legislation represents a significant and necessary step in ensuring the PA profession is accurately understood by both patients and the healthcare teams we are a part of,” said AAPA President and Chair of the Board, Todd Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FASCO. “The ‘physician associate’ title better reflects the responsibilities PAs carry, the depth of our education and training, and the critical role we play in caring for millions of patients across all medical specialties and settings. This is a meaningful milestone for the profession, and we look forward to continuing to build upon this momentum.”
Title change is one of AAPA’s core policy priorities and part of a broader national strategy to ensure PA practice laws reflect how healthcare is delivered, as well as strengthen the PA workforce amid growing demands for care.
With this passage, the movement toward recognizing the physician associate title continues to gain momentum across the country.
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