Four Tips to Improve Your Chapter’s Relationship
with the State Medical Society

Since state medical societies generally represent the greatest number of physicians and are considered to "speak for medicine" in state legislative and regulatory arenas, having a sustained relationship with them is critical to the success of a PA society's advocacy agenda. Your chapter may have a solid and ongoing relationship with this organization in your state. But if not, here are some tips to help you get started or upgrade:

Learn about the organization. Learn as much as you can about the organization from its Web site, newsletter or journal, or other contacts in state societies. Once you evaluate the information, you may be surprised to find that you already have connections that you didn't know about!

Request an informal meeting. An informal "time to chat" can be a very effective way to begin, similar to an information interview that a job seeker might undertake. It will provide you with an opportunity to continue to learn more about the organization while simultaneously sharing information on the PA role in health care and your organization.

Ask the organization president to speak at your annual conference. An invitation to make a keynote address is an honor. Consider asking the president of the organization with whom you're starting a relationship to speak at your conference.

Make a presentation. Perhaps the medical society's board of directors would like to hear from a supervising physician-PA team and include you on their program. A good place to start can be at the county medical society level.

For more ideas on how to create a liaison relationship with these organizations or others, be sure to look at the AAPA booklet, Team Building. For further information on developing effective organizational relationships, please contact Stephanie Radix, AAPA Director of State Advocacy and Outreach, at sradix@aapa.org.

Two Tips for Evaluating Leave As Part of Your Benefits Package

"Fringe" benefits, including paid time off, are essential aspects of your compensation package and directly affect your quality of life. Does your contract support your professional and personal wellbeing by providing adequate leave?

1. Examine your contract for its provisions on CME, vacation, and sick leave (we believe that these three types of leave should have separate yearly allotments — they represent distinct reasons for being away from practice and should not be conflated.

2. Is your leave package enough to:

a) support your CME needs in the most clinically effective manner;
b) allow you enough time away from practice to recharge and prevent burnout; and
c) take care of yourself when you are ill?

If your contract falls short in any of these areas, consider ordering an AAPA Salary Profile to get the latest data on these three types of leave as a resource in your contract negotiation or re-negotiation.

AAPA offers one on one career support! Please contact Jennifer Anne Hohman, AAPA Assistant Director of Professional Advocacy, at jhohman@aapa.org.

First PA Takes Seat in Congress

by Janette Rodrigues on January 06, 2011

With the ceremonial swearing in of the 112th Congress on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, the PA profession saw the first PA take a seat in the People's House.

U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and other members of the new class of congressional freshmen took the oath of office from new House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. After the event, the U.S. House of Representatives conducted the first votes of the 112th Congress.

In the evening, a group of Bass supporters gathered at a reception on Capitol Hill to welcome her to Washington. In attendance were AAPA President Patrick Killeen, AAPA President-elect Robert Wooten, AAPA Executive Vice President and CEO Bill Leinweber, AAPA Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Government Relations Jim Potter and others.

The enthusiastic crowd also included U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., immediate past chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus; National Urban League President and CEO Mark Morial; some of Bass' former colleagues from the California State Assembly; and even some friends from her junior high school.

After the reception, she told supporters via her Facebook page: "It was an honor to be sworn-in today as your member of Congress. We got here together."

(Bass began her busy day with early morning interviews on C-SPAN's Washington Journal and CNN.)

WaPo Features PAs vs. NPs Piece in Special Career Section

by Janette Rodrigues on January 12, 2011

The Washington Post featured an article about PAs and NPs on Jan. 9, 2011, in a special career advice section. AAPA President Patrick Killeen was interviewed for the story, which describes the basics of each profession.

Here's the intro to the WaPo piece:

" Nurse practitioners (NPs) work in a variety of settings. So do physician assistants (PAs). They can both be found in hospitals and clinics, from rural to urban practices. PAs care for a variety of conditions. So do NPs. They both treat illnesses, provide patient teaching and prescribe medications, often acting as the primary care provider.

But there is a difference."

Go here to read the story.

AAPA Responds to AMA Article on Hiring PAs and NPs

by Janette Rodrigues on January 12, 2011

Earlier this week, the American Medical Association's print and online news publication American Medical News published an article on "Bringing PAs and NPs on board: What to do if you're hiring." AAPA President Patrick Killeen issued a Letter to the Editor in response to the article:

To the editor:
I appreciate Victoria Stagg Elliott's effort to inform physicians about the value physician assistants can bring to medical practice ("Bringing PAs and NPs on board: What to do if you're hiring," January 10, 2011). I also agree that in a team-based model of care, physicians, PAs and NPs can work together to alleviate workloads, boost productivity and deliver the best possible care to patients, but your readers need to know some important details about PAs.

The author states that PAs are "supervised by a doctor" and NPs "work in collaboration" but she never explains the implications. As a practical matter, there is very little difference when the PA or NP is an employee of a medical practice because virtually all practices have systems in place to review the clinical work of their employees, whether mandated by state laws or not. By and large, "supervised" PAs and "collaborating" or "independent" NPs will consult their physician colleagues within the practice any time they need input on a patient. Furthermore, in my experience, physician-PA relationships often evolve over time to a point where the physician is as likely to seek consultation from the PA on a challenging case, as the PA is to discuss a patient with the physician.

Today's PAs are practicing at all levels in all specialties with responsibilities ranging from that of hospital administrators to first-assisting with the da Vinci laser. But central to PA education and philosophy remains practicing as part of a team with physicians. Because we are educated in the medical model, sometimes side-by-side with physicians - we perform many of the same responsibilities including diagnosis and issuance of treatment plans. This includes prescribing medications in all 50 states and the majority of U.S. territories.

Bottom line: Team-based care is to everyone's benefit.

Sincerely,
Patrick Killeen, MS, PA-C
President, American Academy of Physician Assistants

State Advocacy 2010 Highlight Reel

by Janette Rodrigues on January 12, 2011

As state legislatures convene and new governors take office across the country, a quick look back at 2010 shows lots of activity and dramatic achievements in PA state advocacy, including

* Thirty-five state chapters worked to improve laws or regulations that impact PA ability to provide care
* Arizona passed a PA law modernization that streamlines the licensure process, clarifies scope of practice and updates supervision requirements
* Colorado used the Sunset process to upgrade the state law and add a PA to the medical board
* Maryland passed a PA law update that changes PAs from certified by the state to licensed, doubles the number of PAs a physician may supervise and clarifies that physicians, facilities and PAs determine PA scope of practice
* Michigan PAs and physicians adopted a joint policy statement on the physician-PA team
* The Federation of State Medical Boards amended the PA section in its Essentials of Modern Medical Practice Act. The revised language is consistent with the AAPA's Six Key Elements of a Modern Physician Assistant Practice Act.

For additional information on PA state advocacy in 2010, please contact Ann Davis, PA-C, AAPA Senior Director of State Advocacy and Outreach, at ann@aapa.org

Join Your Colleagues On Capitol Hill for PA Profession

Advocate for the PA profession on Capitol Hill and earn CME credit on
February 17 in Washington, DC.

AAPA Announces Healthcare Leadership Development Expert Susan Reynolds, MD, PhD, as Keynote Speaker at CORE - AAPA's Leadership Forum!

Two States Address PA Workforce in Health Care Reform Reports

Both Virginia and Maryland recently released their health care reform advisory groups' reports. The Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council report calls for the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources to commission and fund multi-dimensional studies of the highly promising collaborative "team" concept of care delivery for primary care in order to formulate future legislative considerations. The teams would specifically include physicians and PAs, among numerous others. PA Anthony A. Miller, Professor and Director of Physician Assistant Studies at Shenandoah University, was selected to serve on the Capacity taskforce which worked in conjunction with the Council.

The Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council's Final Report included in its recommendations exploring ways in which licensing and administrative policies and processes can be streamlined and improved to ease entry into the health care workforce. Potential improvements include permitting reciprocity for health occupations licensed in other states, with certain safeguards, incentivizing volunteerism in underserved areas, promoting cultural competency training, and continuing efforts to streamline credentialing. For more information, please contact, Stephanie Radix, AAPA Director of State Advocacy and Outreach, at sradix@aapa.org

Health Care Reform - Take Two?

The House is expected to consider ,possibly in the next week, H.R. 2, legislation to repeal the health care reform law — The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) — as passed in early 2010.

While the Republican-controlled House has the votes to pass the measure, Democratic leaders who control the Senate have indicated that they will not bring the bill to the Senate floor for debate. House and Senate leaders from both parties have admitted there are problems with the current law, and have pledged that an open dialogue would occur in both bodies focused on possible improvements. However, each chamber's approach to the debate is expected to be quite different.

The House leadership plans on hosting a series of hearings to help them draft new legislation to resolve current issues and cut costs. Their stated goal is to reduce or remove strict regulations to allow states to have greater flexibility and lower costs.

Senate Democrats and Republicans are expected to introduce corrective legislation in the coming months, as many believe the bill was passed without being properly amended. Senators Scott Brown (R-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are expected to re-introduce their bill, Empowering States to Innovate Act, that would reset the date for states to apply for waivers to exempt their citizens from individual mandate if they have established their own unique health care system.

State legal challenges to portions of the PPACA appear to be headed for a full series of appellate proceedings taking at least a couple of years to wind their way to the Supreme Court. Although a full repeal in the 112th Congress appears to be unlikely with control of both chambers divided and an implicit veto by President Obama, more narrow amendments to the law will be considered and broadly debated, as well as strenuous negotiations on implementation funding for various aspects of the new law. AAPA will actively engage in the process. For more information, please contact Jennifer Teters, AAPA Director of Congressional and Political Advocacy, at jteters@aapa.org

Nebraska PAs Work to Remove Provisions for PAs from Legislation

Leaders from the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants recently worked to remove PAs from a piece of legislation that would have implemented special licensing requirements for PAs returning to practice after a period of clinical inactivity.

In 2010, Nebraska Medical Association staff, at the request of the Nebraska Board of Medical Examiners, drafted legislative language that would apply similar standards to physicians and PAs seeking licensure after a break from clinical practice. However, the proposal did not recognize current state PA laws and regulations that currently address the issue. NAPA worked with staff from the NBME and NMA to remove PAs from the legislative proposal.

Several states have been addressing the issue of PA re-entry to clinical practice. Two sessions on the topic are planned for the AAPA Annual Conference and Academy state advocacy staff is addressing the issue on licensing, policy and resource development fronts. For more information, please contact Liz Roe, AAPA Director of State Advocacy and Outreach, at eroe@aapa.org

New Years Resolution: Lose 5 Lbs. (of paper) by Storing Your Credentials with FCVS

With the new year often comes a renewed commitment to adopt good habits. For PAs resolving to be more organized in 2011, the Federation of State Medical Boards has a solution. The Federation Credentials Verification Service creates a permanent, primary-source-verified record of important professional documents. FCVS both protects against catastrophes and eases the process of applying for credentials from a new hospital or a license from a new state.

PAs can initiate the service by submitting an application online and paying a fee. FCVS analysts then work to verify a PA's identity, education and training, examination and disciplinary history. Once completed, an FCVS profile can be used throughout a PA's career as a one-stop source for verification of credentials.

A growing number of licensing boards accept FCVS profiles as primary source verification of a PA's documents. For more information on FCVS, please contact Liz Roe, AAPA Director of State Advocacy and Outreach, at eroe@aapa.org

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Offering Paid Public Policy Fellowships

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) is seeking applications for its Graduate Fellowship Program and undergraduate Public Policy Fellowship Program for aspiring Latino students. Fellows have the opportunity to work in congressional offices and federal agencies, depending on their area of interest.

The graduate fellowships include:

* $2,700 monthly stipend, domestic round-trip transportation, health insurance
* Work experience in Washington, D.C.
* Leadership training, professional development and networking.
* Optional short-term housing.

The graduate fellowship deadline is February 18, 2011. And the undergraduate fellowship program deadline is February 4, 2011. For more information and how to apply, please visit the CHCI Fellowship website, including the CHCI Graduate Fellowship Program and the undergraduate CHCI Public Policy Fellowship Program.

http://aapa.informz.net/AAPA/archives/archive_1223579.html