New Study Published in Journal of Medical Regulation Affirms Removing Barriers to PA Practice Improves Patient Access to High-quality Care

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An important new study released early this year shows that removing barriers to physician associate/assistant (PA) practice improves access to high-quality, cost-effective care and maintains patient safety. 

The article, “Medical Malpractice Payment Reports of Physician Assistants/Associates Related to State Practice Laws and Regulation,” examines 10 years (2010-2019) of medical malpractice payment reports (MMPR) data from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) compared to the laws and regulations of states for the same period.

The study found that states with permissive practice environments (with four or more permissive scope of practice reforms) compared to restrictive states (with three or fewer scope of practice reforms) had no increased risk of PA MMPR occurrences. The research also demonstrated that almost all PA practice reforms lead to a reduction in MMPRs for PAs and physicians. 

Some reforms examined included state laws and regulations that allow PAs to practice in collaboration or without a formal statuary relationship with a physician, permit physicians to collaborate with an unlimited number of PAs, and authorize medical teams to determine scope of practice at the practice level.

See the full article attached as a PDF or linked: Full Article Here.