Advocacy

Maine has officially become the second state to change the title of “physician assistant” to “physician associate,” according to a June 14 news release from the American Academy of Physician Associates.

Physician assistants could achieve more autonomy with Senate Bill 345, which would eliminate a physician supervision requirement for those who meet certain criteria.

A bill in Michigan’s House of Representatives would expand licensure for Physician Assistants (PAs) to allow them to practice in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio.

An Upper Peninsula state legislator has introduced a bill that would allow physician assistants from neighboring states to practice in Michigan without needing multiple licenses.

Jonathan Saltzman’s article highlights the growing trend of direct primary care. While this model promises to offer personalized care, it also risks deepening health care disparities and exacerbating the shortage of primary care providers.

Nay is one of two community health workers in a program that St. Peter’s Health of Helena started in 2022, focusing on people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who had five or more ER visits in a year.

Physician assistants and health care advocates are hopeful a bill being considered on Beacon Hill could help to address a statewide shortage in primary care providers.

Nearly 200 physician assistants and students are heading to Raleigh Wednesday to push for a bill that could improve access to healthcare.

Physician assistants will return to Beacon Hill this year to advocate for the removal of “archaic” requirements that, they say, will make a difference amid the commonwealth’s primary care bottleneck.