Misconception About Professional Identity

Myth: PAs are “physician’s assistants”
 

This terminology misconception undermines the professional standing of PAs. In reality, PAs are licensed medical providers who undergo rigorous training and play an essential role in healthcare delivery. They work with physicians as valued members of the medical team.  They are medical professionals in their own right, not merely assistants.  This is why the American Academy of Physician Assistants officially changed their name and the name of the profession to Physician Associates.  Additionally, there is no apostrophe "s" in the title.

Myths About Patient Perception and Care

Myth: PAs have limited autonomy and can’t make decisions  

PAs are highly trained medical professionals who make independent clinical decisions every day. They diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and develop treatment plans with significant autonomy.  Many PAs perform complex procedures and manage complex patients with life threatening conditions in critical care settings without a physician present.  Some of the most advanced critical care teams in RI are staffed solely by PAs and NPs with physicians available for consultation.

Myth: PAs provide "less safe" care than other providers. 

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

This 2024 study shows that removing barriers to PA practice increases access to high-quality, cost-effective care while maintaining patient safety[7].  

-An AAPA-backed study found no statistically significant link between expanded PA scope of practice and increased patient safety issues or malpractice suits[2]. 

"Physician Assistants/Associates at 6 Decades*  

-This comprehensive review in The American Journal of Managed Care concludes that PAs provide care indistinguishable from physicians in general medicine, with similar patient outcomes and satisfaction, and lower labor costs[12].

Myths About Practice Limitations

Myth: The physician has to be on-site for a PA to see patients 

No state requires a physician to be on-site 100% of the time PAs are seeing patients. PAs can see patients in all settings without a physician present and are critical to enhancing access to care in rural and underserved areas.  Our RI Statute states that PAs need to have a physician available for consultation at all times but that means of communication can either be electronic, telephonic or in person. 

Myth: PAs cannot see new patients or perform consultations 

This is completely false. Today, there are more than 115,500 certified PAs practicing medicine, performing consultations, and seeing new patients in every medical and surgical subspecialty from pediatric neurosurgery to oncology to primary care.

Myth: PAs cannot practice in specialties 

PAs work across the full spectrum of medical specialties, not just in primary care.

Myth:  Physicians need to supervise PAs and cosign charts  

In 2019 legislation was passed that removed the requirement for supervision.  The only notes required to be cosigned are Admission H&Ps at a healthcare facility and Discharge Summaries at a healthcare facility.  This is a Medicare requirement and not a state or local requirement for billing purposes. 

Myths About Professional Value

Myth: PAs can’t prescribe medication 

PAs are authorized to prescribe medication, diagnose conditions, order tests, and interpret results.

Evidence Supporting PA Safety and Quality

Multiple studies have demonstrated that PAs provide care that is comparable in safety and quality to that provided by physicians. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Medical Regulation found no statistically significant link between expanded PA scope of practice and patient safety issues, as measured by malpractice claims. In fact, this AAPA-backed research showed that expanded scope of practice was actually associated with a reduction in medical malpractice lawsuits for both PAs and physicians.

In emergency department settings, research has consistently shown PAs to be safe practitioners. A mixed methods study by Drennan et al. reported that emergency doctors considered PAs to be “appropriate, safe, and acceptable members of the medical team”. This study found no difference in the rate of patient returns for the same problem between those seen by PAs versus foundation doctors (1.33 vs 0.69, p = 0.40).