MSPAC

Has anyone here worked in obesity medicine? I'm having trouble finding a reputable source on an acceptable rate of weight loss. I've just recently started rx'ing topiramate/phentermine to my patients, working them up with an EKG, assessing their motivation, coordinating their care with the nutritionist, making sure their BMI >30, etc. etc. Well, I had the first three come back for a 2-week FU and on average, they have each lost at least 10 pounds! There is a part of me that thinks this is a little too fast but I can't find data on "how much is too fast?" Literature states you should see at least 3% weight loss in 12 weeks but wowza! Could anyone chime in on the research?

I'm sorry but how could you possibly give good quality well child checks in 7 minutes? Are you excluding the charting, screenings and assessments, reviewing growth charts? Where I work, the providers who do these quick WCCs are usually the ones who miss autism, metabolic syndrome, etc.

With all these threads about NPs being lightyears ahead in the political arena I'm really hoping that everyone here, especially the ones complaining, are actually contributing to AAPA's Political Action Committee. I just received a snail mail from them and, if I remember correctly, it says only 4% of AAPA members donate. That is beyond pathetic. Could the PA Forum support this cause? Maybe put a banner to encourage users to donate, IDK. The forum probably does not want any affiliation to AAPA but instead of complaining on this forum, let's do something!

Update on this and just in case it will be helpful to anyone. The job actually offered $60/hour plus malpractice but with the numbers y'all have given me above I was able to negotiate $70/hour. Thanks to those who replied!

Did mine today too and found it in the spam folder. I wasn't expecting having to write down my answers. I can only imagine the time it will take to read the responses. I was surprised they didn't already have a list of potential titles to use.

Sweet baby J. Please do not even consider this offer. Where are you that you can't get an offer 6 months post-graduation?

My cowrokers and I would really love to attend a SEMPA conference even though we're in primary care. Has the location for the 2020 conference been decided yet?

Well, the bill didn't make the cut. I'm very disappointed but I am hopeful we will do better next session. Here's the last message from WAPA if you're not a member. My fellow PAs, I am sad to share the news that our PA reform bill (SB 5411) did not pass out of the Senate Health committee on Friday, February 22nd . This was the deadline for bills to get a vote in the policy committee. What does this mean? It means our bill will not pass this year. It will keep its number and be re-introduced next year, with the same sponsors. It's rare for any bill to pass the first year it's introduced. Typically, only 1 out of 5 bills introduced makes it through the process each year. I have no regrets. We did absolutely everything we could have to make this effort a success. Our lobbyist, Kate White Tudor, JD did a fantastic job lobbying for us. I am proud of what we accomplished so far in our work to reform PA practice: * We worked collaboratively with WSMA and the Medical Commission to develop our proposal * We earned the support of nine bill sponsors * We gathered PAs from across the state in Olympia to lobby their legislators (our first WAPA lobby day) * We presented compelling testimony, including three physicians who testified in support of PA reforms * We negotiated aggressively to keep the bill alive as long as possible What's next? We will develop a plan to educate more allies, reach out to legislators, and address stakeholder concerns to position the bill for success in 2020. You can view bill SB 5411 and more information on our efforts on our website homepage: www.WAPA.com Thank you for your trust in me as President to work on these important reforms. If you want to get more involved in helping to pass this bill next year, please continue to be a member of WAPA. Thank you for being a member. There is strength in numbers and we need your support now, more than ever. Your WAPA board of directors and Legislative Health Policy committee is available by email. You can reach us at: wapa@wapa.com. In the coming months, we will contact you to reach out to your legislators. We need to keep the momentum going! Thank you, Lyn Storm PA-C President

This is helpful. Thank you!

Thanks for your response. This is in WA.

Thanks for your response! I remember you cross state lines for work. Is this around where you're working or where you live? Any chance you would name the group who offers that (probably through PM)?

Hi all, I'm trying to get thoughts on what I should counter for a non-benefited W2 position in retail medicine. A little background: I'm young in my PA career and have been in rural family medicine for 1.5 years. I've been seeking per diem positions for a while now (I'm single with no kids in a VERY small town and I'm starting to get cabin fever LOL) and was finally offered one at a nearby hospital that has these types of clinics. These are the same ones you would find at a pharmacy with a very limited list of conditions that patients can come in for e.g. URIs, UTIs, Imms. The patients make the appts at least 1 day ahead of time so there are no walk-ins and the schedule is scrubbed by the MA and by provider to do the best possible in making sure more complex cases go to their urgent care or ER. So, compared to me following chronic conditions and multiple co-morbidities at my FT job, I imagined that this would be relatively easy peasy. The job: Weekends 8AM-8PM with a one hour paid lunch. No benefits (NBD because my FT job has excellent bennies) Patients are scheduled on 20 minute slots Work with one MA who will work the front and back office Salaried. About $53.40 per hour Hospital was bought a few years ago by a bigger entity located in 3 states. I was told they are planning to get about 50 more clinics instituted across those areas in the next few years. I mention this because on the phone interview the recruiter said the salary was set across the organization. So I'm a little hesitant to ask for more but the practice manager on the in-person interview verbalized to me how badly they need providers. I think I will be asking for more (worse they could do is say no, right?) but what would be a fair counter offer? As a comparison, I make significantly more than this at my FT job but that's because of my bonuses. This is in the PNW with low COL. Thank you!

This just in from WAPA's recent email. Is there a place where things like this could be distributed to a wider audience, perhaps Huddle? If only the NCCPA worked with state organizations to reach out to PAs in those respective states... SMH. Dear Colleagues, WAPA needs your help. Our bill, SB 5411 has not made it to a vote in the Senate Health Committee as of Wednesday, February 20th. This leaves us only 1 day to get Senate Bill 5411 voted out of committee and on to the next phase. If you could call Senator Cleveland's office today or Thursday 2/21 morning and leave a brief message, it would help our PA practice reform bill. Please call and state: “Please bring SB 5411 up for a vote. I am calling to support PA practice reform.” This will help us get our bill up for a vote. Also, if you know anyone that lives in the 49th district in Vancouver, WA please have them reach out as well. Sen. Cleveland will listen to and respond to constituents within her district more favorably. Senator Annette Cleveland is Chair of the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee: 360-786-7696 If you have already called Sen. Cleveland's office, thank you. For more information on SB 5411, please visit our website's homepage: www.wapa.com

There is no date set yet per WAPA. For now we just wait with bated breath.

Yep. I contacted WAPA and was told there's no language that actually mentions co-signatures. So my employer then points me to the WA State PA Delegation Agreement from MQAC that says: They interpret the highlighted line as "PAs need a co-signature on charts". So, until it's revised, I guess I'm stuck.