Do PAs work for nursing homes?

[place123]

I heard they do but I have only seen doctors. 

What do they do?

[mmiller3]

I know a PA who was a nursing home administrator, and several that rounded on their patients at nursing homes, but I have never met any actually employed by a nursing home.

[sas5814]

Yes they do. I was in FP and we had a few hundred nursing home patients I helped with. I have met or talked to a few who are actually employed by a large facility and use the medical director of the facility as the SP.

[jb5158]

I don't know any PAs who work in nursing homes, but do know some NPs who did. They typically saw each resident once a month for a routine visit and to manage chronic health issues. They then responded to acute illnesses and emergencies. Basically primary care, just going to the patient's room instead of them coming to an office. 

[ventana]

Nope Nada just about never (at least not as a PA)

Medicare pretty much forbids a 
PA employed by the facility from billing - you get put in 'overhead' for salary

 

Due to this you have to have a different company you work for to do the billing.

But you certainly can work in the NH full time....

 

NH need medical directors so they are paid (typically 25-50k per year in my area) to fill this role, but they they bill for all the visits the have

[Michigander]

I'm a PA and have worked in long term care (skilled nursing, assisted living, home based primary care) for several years. I am part of a fairly large geriatrics group employed by a large health system. Most of the providers are NPs but there are also physicians and several PAs. I see patients when they come in (physician sees them several days later) and for regulatory visits at intervals specified by Medicare and for any urgent issues. There's a lot of paperwork to sign and regulations to adhere to (i.e. need documentation to order UA, psychotropics are very regulated and require extra documentation). Personally I try to make sure that transitions of care to/from hospital are safe and taper off opioids or document why I can't.