PROFESSIONMore family doctors find PAs to be practice assetsThe number of physician assistants has doubled during the past 10 years, with the largest employment growth in group practices.By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. Nov. 17, 2003. Three years ago, Susan C. Taylor, MD, took a step that made her solo practice more efficient. She hired a physician assistant. The PA helps the Philadelphia dermatologist plow through paperwork and allows Dr. Taylor to have more time with patients. The PA also handles follow-ups on acne and warts and reviews routine biopsy reports. "Having a physician extender has worked well to accommodate my patients," Dr. Taylor said. "[Without the PA] the wait would be longer, things would not move as smoothly and I would be overworked. They're just a wonderful addition to medicine." Dr. Taylor and other physicians are increasingly employing PAs in solo and group practices while the number of PAs in hospitals has decreased slightly. The number of working PAs more than doubled the past 10 years, rising from 23,300 in 1993 to 50,121 this year, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. A 2003 survey of PAs by the academy found that 12.9% of PAs work in a solo physician's office, up from 9.1% in 1998. The percentage of PAs working in group practices climbed from 26.3% in 1998 to 30.4% in 2003. "Increasingly, it's becoming apparent that it really does require a team to deliver quality, affordable and accessible health care. A single physician can't do it alone," said Steve Crane, AAPA executive vice president and CEO. About eight years ago, when a multispecialty group in Salem, Ore., brought in PAs to work with their family physicians, there was some reluctance because PAs were seen as a threat, said David Edmonds, MD. [...]Full text of AMNews content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2003 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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