Credentialing & Privileging | 12.03.21
A Title Fight Pits Physician Assistants Against Doctors
by Kaiser Health News
Physician assistant (PA) Leslie Clayton, who practices at a clinic in Minnesota, wants the term "assistant" removed from her professional title, claiming it causes patients to wrongly assume she is an aid rather than a medical provider. She and a growing number of other PAs want to be rebranded as "physician associates," with their national group formally changing its name to the American Academy of Physician Associates in May. The group further wants state legislatures and regulatory bodies to legally certify the rebranding in statutes and rules and estimates the entire cost of revision will total nearly $22 million. Physicians are balking, contending some patients will wrongly think a "physician associate" is a junior doctor. The head of the American Medical Association said this "will undoubtedly confuse patients and is clearly an attempt to advance their pursuit toward independent practice." In addition to the name change, PAs want to eliminate state mandates that they must be formally supervised by physicians or have written agreements with a doctor outlining the PA's role.
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