 Here is today's question for the candidates, followed by answers from each of them (listed in alphabetical order by office):
How should AAPA reach out to pre-PAs—those who are considering entering the profession? Why is this important?
President-Elect
Treasurer
Director At Large
 Patti Pagels, MPAS, PA-C: "I don't think it is AAPA's responsibility to reach out to the pre-PA. I think that is our job as PAs. We should be willing to allow people interested in the profession to shadow us in our practice. We should call our local middle schools and high schools and offer to come and talk about our profession. AAPA can help by supplying handouts or videos, but ultimately each of us should take responsibility for mentoring young people interested in the PA profession."
 Robert Wooten, PA-C: "We need to begin our work in elementary schools and continue into the colleges letting students know that they can become PAs. Talking with them about what it is going to take and how important it is to work hard in the academic arena in order to achieve this goal. We can as constituent organizations use our local, state or national meetings to do a project where we go into the schools and talk to the students and teachers about our profession. We would reach thousands of students each year through this process.
For those students who have been identified as pre-PAs, then PAs who are in their area could mentor them. Set up opportunities for these students to shadow you in your practice. Staying in contact and encouraging them is important. The outreach to prospective PAs is not only an AAPA responsibility, but it is the responsibility of all PAs."
 Linda L. Contreras, MPAS, PA-C: "Reaching out to those interested in our profession is important to our growth. And if we are striving to provide affordable and accessible health care, then growth in the PA profession will be essential.
We reach out to pre-PAs by:
Providing PA mentorship programs-PAs and student PAs can play an active role in mentoring pre-PAs by sharing their experiences both as students and in their practice.
Participating in Career Fair Days-PAs and PA students can participate at middle school, high school and college career fairs. This venue provides an excellent opportunity for both PAs and PA students to educate students on the uniqueness of our profession.
Supporting pre-PA organizations-both at the high school and college level by volunteering to speak on topics related to the PA profession.
Providing timely information-We can utilize the AAPA Web site to provide pertinent information relating to the PA profession and PA education."
 Bruce Fichandler, PA: "I believe this to be more of an issue for PAEA and the Student Academy of AAPA rather than AAPA. At the same time, there is an important, albeit an indirect, role for AAPA in this in terms of working to make the PA profession so vibrant and successful that people looking for a career in health care will be attracted to it. In this we continue to be very successful with accomplishments such as helping to obtain enabling legislation and prescriptive privileges in all states, working with state chapters to improve PA practice laws, and increasing communication with and dissemination of information about PAs through numerous national and local publications.
In addition, we have worked hard to put the PA profession out front in the minds of physicians and health care administrators and school guidance counselors so that they are both aware of us and recommending us as an excellent career choice."
 Michael C. Doll, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA: "We as individual PAs, and the Academy must go into high schools, colleges and universities to introduce our profession. The Academy supplies a wonderful PowerPoint presentation that is available for our members to show to prospective PA students. Many high schools, colleges and universities have career days and medical professional clubs that are interested in hearing more about our profession. In addition, in order to focus on the two goals of improving the diversity of the profession and to supply more PAs to underserved urban and rural areas, the Academy can work with local health care systems and facilities to set up scholarship programs with the agreement that students would work in those areas for a predetermined period to time after graduation. Lastly, the Academy must continue to use electronic means of advertisement that pre-PA students are likely to use on an everyday basis such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter."
 Lawrence Herman, MPA, RPA-C, DFAAPA: "Actually and fortuitously, much of this is already being done with relatively minimal effort provided by the Academy. This is due in part to the recognition achieved by the profession as the number two “best” job in America as the PA profession was ranked by CNN and Money Magazine, behind only software engineers and ahead of nurse practitioners (and everyone else)! As a result of this and other factors such as job security within health care professions, PA programs have witnessed dramatic increases in the number of applicants. As PA program faculty and Director of Admissions for our program, we have over 30 applicants for every seat in our program. I'm not sure how much more reaching out to pre-PAs some programs can take!"
 Sandra Keavey, MPAS,PA-C: "Many professions have members that decide to advance their careers by choosing to become a PA. AAPA can increase professional outreach by advertising in the professional journals or Web sites of clinical professionals, i.e., pharmacists, nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists, radiology technologists, psychologists etc.
As our profession increases in numbers many students choose the PA profession as a first career. I recommend an interactive electronic brochure for counselors or faculty who advise and direct students toward future careers. Ask fellow PAs to be a resource locally for counselors, faculty or students who express an interest in the PA profession. Providing posters for the practicing PA to place in their office or an e-message to include on the practice Web site that provides a link to the AAPA Web site. Reaching out to professional groups and interested parties increases our visibility and strengthens the PA profession by improving the foundation and diversity of our profession."
Next Thursday: What makes you a strong leader for AAPA? Why should voters cast their ballot for you?
Today is one of a series of posts related to the 2010 General Election of the AAPA Board of Directors. Each Thursday between now and April 1 (the day voting begins) and throughout the voting period (April 1-30) we'll be posting a question on PA Pro NOW for each of the candidates to answer. We encourage you to join the discussion by posting your own questions, comments and opinions about the future of AAPA and your profession.
Want to know more from the candidates? Post your own question or comment related to recruiting new PAs.
(Updated, complete list of 2010 PAragon Awards winners)
The AAPA Awards Committee announced the winners of the 2010 PAragon Awards in February. The awards - the highest recognition given to Academy members - are given to PAs who have distinguished themselves in service to patients, the community and the PA profession.
This year, the PAragon Awards video that profiles the winners and their work will not be shown during the Conference Welcome and General Session at AAPA's 38th Annual PA Conference in Atlanta.
Instead, two new events will showcase the winners. First is the PAragon Awards Ceremony at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 31, at the Georgia World Congress Center; and then, the winner will accept their awards at the PAragon Awards Dinner, at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 31, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. PAragon Awards Dinner tickets are $150 each, and the event will benefit the PA Foundation.
Humanitarian PA of the Year
Phoumy B. Bounkeua, PA-C, PhD
Seattle, Wash.
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
International Community Health Services
Outstanding PA of the Year
Donald M. Pedersen, PA-C, PhD
Salt Lake City, Utah
University of Utah
PA Service to the Underserved
Hal Joseph, PA-C, CDE
Lenore, Idaho.
Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics
Federal Service PA of the Year
John W. Bullock, PA-C
Springfield, Va.
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Research & Development Office, Force Health Protection & Readiness
Physician-PA Partnership Award
Dana R. Gray, PA-C
Hillsboro, Ore
Northwest Surgical Associates Division of The Oregon Clinic
Jonathan G. Hill, MD
Portland, Ore.
Northwest Surgical Associates Division of The Oregon Clinic
Honorary Membership
Ann A. Bliss BS, RN, MSW, LCSW
Old Lyme, Conn.
Yale University School of Medicine, Internal Medicine (retired)
PAragon Publishing Award
Kristine A. Himmerick, MS, MPAS, PA- C
Sacramento, Calif.
University of California at Davis, FNP/PA Program
Publishing 2nd Place
JoAnn Deasy, PA-C, MPH
San Francisco, Calif.
California Emergency Physicians, Emergency Department, San Mateo County General Hospital
The Heritage Retirement and Nursing Home in San Francisco
Touro University - California Physician Assistant /MPH Program
Publishing 3rd Place
Ellen D. Mandel, DMH, MPA, PA-C
Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Seton Hall University
Want to know what Carolyn Clancy, MD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Kenneth Moritsugu, MD, former acting U.S. Surgeon General, have to say about the current and future state of PA research? PA Pro NOW caught up with them during AAPA's Physician Assistant Research Summit in Alexandria, Va., on March 4-5. Watch their video interviews on AAPA's You Tube channel.
Here is today's question for the candidates, followed by answers from each of them (listed in alphabetical order by office):
With the political face of America becoming ever more diverse, do you believe the Academy's membership, leadership and the profession reflect this diversity? If not, how would you propose the Academy increase diversity in these areas?
President-Elect
Treasurer
Director At Large
Patti Pagels, MPAS, PA-C: "Are the Academy and the profession as diverse they could be? I think we all know the answer is no. It is my belief that this problem is best tackled at the local chapter level. We need to develop and present informational programs to high school and college students in communities that are under-represented. We can create and provide scholarships to encourage application to PA programs. Just think if every member of the academy gave $100 toward scholarships for diverse students we would have more than $3 million to help fund their education. The Academy will need to determine what barriers exist toward membership for ethnic and under-represented minorities. Once these barriers are identified then we can work to remove them. As leaders we must view this lack of diversity in the profession and in leadership as a serious issue that impacts not only our members but the patients we have vowed to serve."
Robert Wooten, PA-C: "Currently I do not believe that the Academy's membership, leadership and the profession emulate the diversity of the U.S. population. Members of the caucuses have invested ties and access to the communities and can be very helpful in this effort. Working with national organizations that represent diverse populations is another way to reach the people we are trying to attract to the profession. We must promote an awareness of the PA profession among diverse populations and encourage everyone to recognize the highly positive attributes of the PA profession as a lifelong career choice. To attract diverse PAs to leadership, we must identify and mentor talented potential leaders and provide them with leadership development opportunities to maximize their abilities. Attention must be paid to leadership development as it pertains to not only the AAPA but also its constituent organizations, committees, councils, and the board of directors. The Committee on Diversity has laid the ground work by creating a document entitled "Promoting a More Diverse AAPA: Business Rationale for Diversity as a Strategic Management Imperative and Associated Leadership Criteria"and this would be a good starting point for enhancing professional activities in this area."
Linda L. Contreras, MPAS, PA-C: "Diversity does not only involve the dimension of race. It also includes factors such as: ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, and political beliefs. More importantly, it addresses our ability to understand each other and our ability to move beyond just tolerance, to celebrating and embracing our differences. Our current BOD reflects the lack of diversity in our membership and therefore our profession. If we are successful in expanding diversity within our profession, then diversity within our leadership will follow. The first step is to raise awareness by promoting our profession to students at a very early age. We also need to make PA education affordable. More practicing PAs could serve as mentors and encouragers of PA students and PAs new to our profession by exposing them to all aspects of diversity in their clinical practice. We need to incorporate diversity topics in our core ciriculums, CME programs and medical journals. While we still have a long way to go, I can assure you the AAPA is dedicated to promoting diversity not only within the AAPA leadership, but more importantly within the PA profession."
Bruce Fichandler, PA: "With about a 10 percent minority membership in the AAPA, clearly we do not reflect the national average of 34 percent minorities in this country. At the same time I believe we do have substantial group of minorities involved in the Academy leadership at virtually all levels. They serve on the board as well on committees and councils and in several liaison capacities. We need to take into consideration the composition of all groups as we select the members and try to make them as diverse as possible. We should encourage PAEA to expand their efforts into the minority communities to recruit more minorities into the profession as well as encourage the PAF to look for more ways to support minority education efforts. And, through our efforts noted in [my answer to last week’s question about health disparities], we can heighten our profile in the minority medical arena and perhaps attract more minorities into the profession. As one example of that, our representative to the AMA Coalition to End Health Care Disparities recently spoke at a meeting of students and made them aware of the PA profession for the first time."
Michael C. Doll, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA: "I believe that we can increase diversity within our profession by the following means:
• Go to the inner city high schools and universities to introduce the PA profession
• Advertise the PA profession within well-known and highly populated minority paper publications and Web sites
• Give scholarships from the PA foundation that are specifically focused upon minority pre-PA students • Partner with inner city hospitals and health care systems to offer scholarships to pre-PA students with the goal to have those students pay back their scholarships by working at those inner city areas for a predetermined period of time.
In order to assure that transition amongst leadership, I would support a Leadership Fellows Program within the board. The focus of this program would be to find and mentor young PAs who in the future could lead our profession. Certainly, diversity amongst the fellows could be a selection criterion of the program. Currently within the APACVS, we have a similar program which has been very successful and rewarding for both the board and the fellows. In fact, the majority of the graduating fellows have gone on to become board members."
Lawrence Herman, MPA, RPA-C, DFAAPA: "Virtually every medical society in the country struggles to achieve adequate diversity. Unfortunately, while the Academy has made significant progress to achieve diversity in our membership and leadership, we have not yet fully achieved this goal. This begins with recruitment of a diverse student body, and PAEA continues to struggle with this goal. The Academy will profit from joint PAEA/AAPA accomplishments in this arena, because diverse students ultimately result in a diverse membership, and with a diverse membership comes a corresponding enhanced leadership opportunity. By partnering with PAEA to develop a reasonably diverse student body, AAPA will have made considerable assurances of reaching each successive level of diversity."
Sandra Keavey, MPAS,PA-C: "Improving diversity within the profession is one of the components in decreasing disparity in health care. By 2050 the PEW Research Center predicts the America population will be 47 percent Caucasian, 29 percent Hispanic, 15 percent African American and 9 percent Asian. To assure that this changing landscape of America is to be reflected in the applicant pool of PA programs and subsequently in the demographics of the Academy we should take a proactive approach. In working toward equity the Academy should develop an outreach program to target minority students. The Academy should also reach out to minority members of professional groups that routinely choose to advance their careers and become PAs (such as nurses, respiratory therapy, paramedics, etc.) The profession should be presented as option for their future. As part of this outreach program members of minority groups should be encouraged to act as preceptors for students and potential PA program applicants. One avenue for the Academy is to increase outreach by working through the special interest groups that are already members of the Academy that are representative of minority groups. Active participation of minority students and members in the House of Delegates and Committee membership at the state and national level should be pursued aggressively."
Next Thursday: How should AAPA reach out to “pre-PAs”---those who are considering entering the profession? Why is this important?
Today is one of a series of posts related to the 2010 General Election of the AAPA Board of Directors. Each Thursday between now and April 1 (the day voting begins) and throughout the voting period (April 1-30) we'll be posting a question on PA Pro NOW for each of the candidates to answer. We encourage you to join the discussion by posting your own questions, comments and opinions about the future of AAPA and your profession.
Want to know more from the candidates? Post your own question or comment related to diversity and the PA profession.
 AAPA took a first step in creating a framework for a research agenda about the PA profession with the launch of a two-day research summit that included a number of partners and stakeholders. Held March 4 and 5 in Alexandria, Va., the AAPA Physician Assistant Research Summit brought together a number of groups: practicing PAs, representatives from the PA academic and regulatory communities, PAs engaged in research, health services researchers, and health economists. Also in attendance were thought-leaders from federal agencies, think tanks and private foundations.
The objectives of the summit included:
• Identifying and reaching consensus on key questions about the PA profession in order to build a framework for a research agenda
• Identifying and reaching consensus on core goals for a research agenda, and
• Identifying and reaching consensus on individual and institutional stakeholders, both within the PA profession and beyond, that have a strong interest in and motivation for advancing and supporting a research agenda for the profession.
The first day of the summit set the stage for discussion on these issues with speakers such as Janet Pagán-Sutton, PhD, senior research scientist at Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., who presented a summary of the current state of PA research and gaps that exist in data.
The summit's keynote speaker Carolyn Clancy, MD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, spoke on the importance of funding research, such as comparative effectiveness research, that has practical applications for clinical settings.
Other speakers included Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform and Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair in Health Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, who stressed the need for data that demonstrates how the PA profession keeps costs low while providing quality care.
A five-member panel of various stakeholders presented their ideas for research questions that should be explored by the PA profession.
Attendees divided into five work groups to brainstorm strategic themes: the value of PAs, PA workforce issues, PA data, the role of PAs in a changing health care delivery system, and PA education and training.
After further discussion on day two of the summit, participants offered action steps to be taken by AAPA leadership and AAPA partners. Leadership will begin to more clearly define the PA research agenda and ensure that research remains an AAPA priority, as outlined in the Academy's 2010-2012 Strategic Plan. Partners will be called on to assist in sharing data and resources that will move the PA research agenda forward.
As this discussion on a PA research agenda continues, look for updates on PA Pro NOW and in PA Professional magazine.
UPDATE: For video interviews with Clancy, Pagán-Sutton and others who attended the summit, go to AAPA's You Tube page.
Here is today's question for the candidates, followed by answers from each of them (listed in alphabetical order by office):
What should be AAPA's role in addressing health care disparities?
President-Elect
Treasurer
Director At Large
Patti Pagels, MPAS, PA-C: "Initially the Academy should begin by advocating for research that helps to clearly identify the disadvantaged group(s). We must also support research into which strategies will most likely correct health disparities. Secondly, we must collaborate with other organizations to address the social determinants of health (social, economic, and equitable access to health care) that contribute to health inequities. It is critical that AAPA support solutions that include input from those who experience the health inequities. Too often health inequities are addressed from an academic point of view without ever giving the communities involved a seat at the table. Finally, we must educate our members in the meaning of health inequity. We must provide them with practice strategies that include addressing health disparity at the office, health system and health policy level."
Robert Wooten, PA-C: "AAPA should take a leadership role in addressing health care disparities. The Academy can provide educational tools and resources to PAs to help raise awareness and enhance their abilities to identify and eliminate these disparities. The Heads Up Project, created by the AAPA Committee on Diversity, is a prime resource that can be shared with others. In my role as a representative to the Commission to End Health Care Disparities, I have shared this program with the multiple organizations that make up the commission. The program has been well received and will be used as resource for others. The Academy has the ability to bring together people from across the health care, political, educational, and governmental spectrums to talk about this major issue. This could be done in the form of a conference or a summit on eliminating health care disparities."
Linda L. Contreras, MPAS, PA-C: "AAPA can help address the multiple issues surrounding health care disparities by:
• Partnering with our physician colleagues on the Healthy Peoples 2010 goal to eliminate disparities in health care.
• Developing community-based outreach programs to targeted populations in order to educate and provide information on health care topics and prevention efforts. This can be done in communities and shared with PA programs. PAs can serve as mentors to students.
• Heightening PA awareness of how one's individual bias of race, religion, education, income, ethnicity and sexual orientation influences the delivery of care.
• Developing and utilizing educational programs at CME conferences covering the multiple issues related to health care disparities to enhance the awareness of potentially vulnerable populations.
• Encouraging the use of IT-based electronic medical records that utilize built-in health care prevention reminders at patient encounters to order mammograms, glycemic control studies, and routine foot exams in diabetics.
• Working with legislators to improve the capacity and the numbers of health care providers in rural and underserved areas."
Bruce Fichandler, PA: "I would continue our involvement in the numerous coalitions that we have singed on to and I would look for more of them, as well as ways we can participate in those coalitions beyond just written support. We need to continue to lobby hard for support of Title VII monies, which in part, is designed to increase minority under-representation in health professions. I strongly supported the request by our representative to the AMA Commission to End Health Care Disparities to help host a meeting ($37,000), which we did. We need to further promote things like the Heads Up Project, designed to put the faces of minority health care workers out to the public on buses and elsewhere. We are working to have representatives from the National Medical Association and the Hispanic Medical Association at our annual meeting in Atlanta. We need to give full support to our liaison to the NMA and strengthen our ties with that group to foster collaborative opportunities to decrease health care disparities."
Michael C. Doll, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA: "I believe the Academy's greatest ability to decrease health care disparities is by supporting health care coverage for the millions of our fellow Americans who currently do not have any coverage. The areas of the country that are most adversely affected by the lack of health care coverage (inner cities and remote, rural areas) must be the focus of the profession.
Therefore, we must partner with inner city and rural health care systems to give scholarships to pre-PA students. In return, those newly trained PAs would work in those areas for a predetermined period of time. By increasing the number of PAs in inner cities and remote rural areas, we can decrease some of the disparities of care. Lastly, PAs must always be willing to find ways to educate and orient those patients who are illiterate, do not speak/understand English or unable to understand/comprehend what we are attempting to teach them."
Lawrence Herman, MPA, RPA-C, DFAAPA: "Disparities are pervasive in our health care system. We are only beginning to understand the magnitude of differential burden of illness in populations with special health care needs, such as minority children and poor patients with disabling chronic illnesses. Health care disparities are costly. Poorly managed care or missed diagnoses result in expensive and avoidable complications. The personal cost of disparities can lead to significant morbidity, disability and lost productivity at the individual level. At the societal level, easily treated and common problems left inadequately treated can result in significant burden of disease. There are complicated interrelationships between race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status that may result in health care disparities. While the relationships between these factors may seem theoretical, a better understanding of the underlying factors that result in disparities could better target improvement efforts aimed at reducing disparities."
Sandra Keavey, MPAS,PA-C: "AAPA's role addressing health care disparities is to advocate for patients and the PA profession. Many suggestions have been made and now the efficacy of these potential solutions needs to be reviewed. As a stakeholder AAPA needs to take a critical look at the proposed solutions and be sure they help our patients. Regardless of differences on this issue, AAPA should remain active working toward solutions, compromise when necessary, but always progress toward a solution that reduces the health care disparity in our country. AAPA needs to ensure that PAs are identified as part of the solution for improving access to care, patient safety, reimbursement and other barriers that interfere with the reception and delivery of health care. This is done by closely reviewing language of resolutions, policies and legislation to be sure it is not exclusionary or fails to identify PAs when other health care providers are listed."
Next Thursday: With the political face of America having an ever more diverse appearance, do you believe the Academy's membership, leadership and the profession emulate this diversity? If not, how would you propose the Academy increase the diversity of membership, leadership and the profession?
Today is one of a series of posts related to the 2010 General Election of the AAPA Board of Directors. Each Thursday between now and April 1 (the day voting begins) and throughout the voting period (April 1-30) we'll be posting a question on PA Pro NOW for each of the candidates to answer. We encourage you to join the discussion by posting your own questions, comments and opinions about the future of AAPA and your profession.
Want to know more from the candidates? Post your own question or comment related to PAs and health care disparities.
by Guest blogger Katherine Adamson, NCCPA Director of External Relations
Recently NCCPA published a set of changes to the maintenance of certification (MOC) process that are under consideration, inviting all certified PAs to comment on the potential changes in hopes of improving the concepts before their adoption by March 31. As a reminder, there are three principle changes under consideration: the addition of a self-assessment activity every two years, the implementation of a clinical quality improvement project every two years, and -with those additional requirements--an extension of the recertification testing cycle from six years to 10.
Rather than take on the whole proposal or recount the history of this issue and how it's unfolding throughout the physician certifying boards, I want to use this ink to focus in on the proposed change that is proving most controversial among certified PAs: the clinical quality improvement project (already mercifully shortened to ClinQI). This idea was borne out of the two competency areas that are hard for educators to teach and for test writers to test: practice-based learning and improvement and system-based practice. However, read the description of those competencies, and it's impossible to deny their importance. (Read about all six areas of PA competence in "Competencies for the PA Profession" here.)
The ClinQI process involves identifying some aspect of your work, your practice, or your patients' health that could be improved; taking a systematic approach to focusing in on a specific method or methods of change; implementing the change; and taking stock of the results. This is not a doctoral thesis. This is a very practical, on-the-job endeavor.
There are some challenges that will have to be addressed. For one, PAs who aren't practicing clinically will need an alternative pathway to fulfill this requirement. The NCCPA team has developed several ideas about how to address this and will gladly consider others that emerge through the comment period. Also, we know there will need to be training available for those who are new to structured quality initiatives, tools that facilitate the process, and simple reporting mechanisms.
Beyond that, the arguments posited by those registering objections to this idea with NCCPA center around four points:
• "I am too busy." We all know this is true. Many of us spend most of our clinical hours just trying to keep up with the steady stream of patients and the paperwork that accompanies them. This is the heart of what we do, and PAs are, indeed, busy doing it. That said, one ClinQI project every two years does not have to take a lot of time. You could even focus in on an issue that eventually saves time: streamlining an outdated process, "down-streaming" tasks, improving patient adherence to a specific type of treatment plan (reducing return visits). Think small, think big, but never get trapped into believing that you're too busy to think about how things could be done better.
• "This is not my job." If looking for ways to improve your practice isn't your job, whose is it? I've been a PA for 29 years, and I have met, trained and worked with many of you over those years. I don't know anyone who could really believe that thoughtful improvement efforts are not part of the job.
• "This is just busywork that will not impact my practice." This is in the hands of the individual. Choose a project that constitutes busywork, and that's what it will be. Choose a project on an issue that presents a real challenge to you, your physician partner, your health care team and/or your patients, and you'll have more meaningful outcomes.
• "I already do this." Yes! NCCPA will work to make it as easy as we can for you to apply the quality improvement you already engage in towards this requirement.
The purpose of inviting feedback on these potential changes is to make them better. Offer your ideas by March 31 through the NCCPA survey available here.
Katherine Adamson, PA-C, MMSc, MA is a former chairman of NCCPA and now serves as the organization's director of external relations.
How would you advocate for AAPA to ensure PAs remain in the forefront of this current health care reform environment?
Sandra Keavey, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA
"With the recent election of a Republican senator in the state of Massachusetts the status of health care reform is uncertain to say the least. Whether the moment for reform has been lost or simply headed down a new path is unknown. Will Congress start from scratch or abandon reform and continue business as usual?
Regardless the PA profession must continue to advocate for our patients and our profession. How? The same as always. We need to continue our dialogue with state and congressional representatives as a group and as individuals to continue or re-ignite health care reform. With our professional colleagues we must continue to work together to improve access to care, remove disparities and work to prevent the opportunity for meaningful reform from dying from political infighting.
In America the political process is how change occurs. We must continue to be part of the squeaky wheel that advocates for change that increases access to care and decreases barriers to practice. Send examples to your legislative representatives of situations that have resulted in a decreased access to care for a patient or provide a barrier to your ability to practice. Give them ammunition to use to advocate on our and our patients behalf. Stay aware of what your state licensing and regulatory boards are proposing that might affect your ability to care for patients.
The fight for health care reform is lost if WE abandon our voice and quit pursuing the goal of health care for all."
As the nation focuses on health care reform, PA Pro NOW dedicated an entire week to this issue. Each AAPA General Election candidate (in alphabetical order by office) will respond to the health care reform question shown above.
Want to know more from the candidates? Post your own question or comment related to PAs and health care reform.
AAPA President Stephen Hanson and six other PAs accepted a White House invitation to appear at an event in which the President unveiled his revised health reform plan. Hanson and representatives from other clinician groups appeared on stage with the President as he made his remarks. Six other PAs were seated in the audience during the address, in which President Obama asked Congress to take an up-or-down vote on health care reform in the next few weeks.
After the event, Hanson gave his thoughts on the experience.
PA Pro NOW: What does it mean to you that PAs were invited by the White House to this health reform event?
Hanson: It was an important moment in PA history to be included in the announcement on HCR. It recognizes the important contribution that PAs make in the health care system, and it signals the President's commitment toward including PAs in HCR.
PA Pro NOW: As you listened to the President’s remarks, were there any key components in the revised plan that will affect PAs?
Hanson: There were none other than he specifically recognized PAs three times during his remarks. His plan specifically mentions PAs under workforce, and he and his staff have expressed a commitment to us to make sure PAs are included in any HCR pushed by the administration.
Click here to watch a video where Hanson reflects on the March 3 event and what it means for PAs in the health reform discussion.
Click here to watch video of the event on the White House Web site.
Click here to see photos on Reuters' Web site.
Click here to read the President's remarks.
How would you advocate for AAPA to ensure PAs remain in the forefront of this current health care reform environment?
Lawrence Herman, MPAS, RPA-C, DFAAPA
"Faster. Hotter. Better." Somewhere, perhaps hidden away, but nonetheless found somewhere on a plaque on the wall in every McDonald's in America, is that slogan. Now, I'd be the first to admit that McDonald's menu certainly shouldn't be referenced when describing how to do anything well in health care. But that plaque is an outstanding approach to a business model advocating for physician assistants in the rapidly changing landscape of health care.
PAs are faster, hotter and better in so many respects. There are two issues here: One, while we all have an intrinsic sense that we "know" this, there is a paucity of data to prove what our guts tell us. Until our AAPA research agenda ramps up and can prove what we sense, we have to utilize the little data we have. But we do have more than just anecdotal information. It is a fact that PAs do provide increased access to health care. We are, relatively speaking, less expensive in providing care. And we believe that we provide care that is of a quality that is equivalent to our physician partners.
Of course, our best way to advocate for ourselves is what we do every day with our patients. But Congress must know more about PAs and the access to quality care and the efficiencies and cost savings that we bring. On February 23, 2010, about 250 practicing PAs and students were in Washington, D.C., advocating for PAs in front of our elected officials. My group from New York, 15 strong, visited with all of our respective members of the Senate and House. And we will continue to visit locally for many months to come. Personally, I will be advocating for PAs across the country. And what perfect timing, inasmuch as our President has recently put forth revised versions of his health care bill.
But I ask you: What are you doing? I implore you not necessarily to visit Washington, but to write to your representatives. E-mail them. Knock on their door locally. I implore you to "kick it up a notch" from what you do every day with patients and become an advocate for your profession. With 75,000 voices, we can be heard, but only if we speak together, loudly, and without rhetoric. We can do it faster, hotter, better, too."
As the nation focuses on reform after the health care summit in Washington, D.C., PA Pro NOW is dedicating an entire week to the issue of reform. Each AAPA General Election candidate (in alphabetical order by office) will respond to the health care reform question shown above.
Want to know more from the candidates? Post your own question or comment related to PAs and health care reform.
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