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Ummm Arizona much guys?


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1 hour ago, JenGintheED said:

We are collaborating providers, not dependent.

I need to reread the law when I'm not on my phone in bed half asleep. However, my first glance through earlier this week left me with the impression that a collaboration agreement is still required after the hour requirement, although the collaboration agreement does not need to name a specific physician unless the PA is working for a solo physician provider. That's definitely an improvement over the past, but I don't quite see it as "cut legal tethers" described in the AAPA article (I think they were a little generous in the article).

Unfortunately, the new law reaffirms the physician's legal responsibility for the acts of the PA up until the hour requirement is met and certified, which continues to be a barrier to hiring new grads in the state. 

I don't love the requirement to actually get a certificate "certifying" the hours of experience worked in the prior 5 years, but I do like that it's a body of PAs who will promulgate policies on what this certifying process will entail. And theoretically, it should be a "one time" thing.

Overall, definitely a step (not quite a leap?) in the right direction. Congrats AZ PAs!

In terms of what "collaboration" does to the job environment.... Idaho went to "collaboration" a couple of years ago and it has actually made a significant difference. A collab agreement is required with the clinic or a physician, UNLESS the PA is working for a health system who has a credentialing process in place, in which case no specific agreement of any kind is required. Just this week, listening to a local MD who is now the chief medical officer at a local health system, they've been happier to hire PAs ever since 2021 because of it (they no longer need to cajole docs into "supervising" them outside of what their own credentialing system requires). Also, I have an NP friend who owns some UCs around the state; he hired only docs and NPs....until 2021. He now has a handful of PAs with several more ads posted to attract more. He has a part-time doc on salary who checks the box for his clinic to be able to collab with PAs, and in the last year has hired more PAs than any other class. 

While I love the direction MT, UT, WY and others have gone (although WY scares me a little), I still see a lot of benefit to states requiring collaboration agreements vs outdated "supervision".

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From ASAPA:

"With the signing of H.B. 2043, PAs in the Grand Canyon State are now empowered to expand patient care through more modernized, team-based healthcare. In addition to removing the supervision agreement for those PAs with 8,000 or more hours, the legislation will also update who is responsible for the care provided by the PA, allow the Arizona Board of Physician Assistants to determine appropriate regulations for changes in specialty, and allows for direct payment to PAs. The new law will take effect at the end of the calendar year."

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2 hours ago, Febrifuge said:

Would have been nice of the AAPA to name the other 3 states, making AZ the 4th one. Pretty sure we in MN have had this for almost 3 years. It's good. More!

https://www.aapa.org/news-central/2020/05/minnesota-pas-celebrate-new-law-removing-references-to-supervision-delegation-and-physician-responsibility-for-pa-care/

Montana, Utah, and North Dakota, I believe. OR passed collaboration last year as well. 

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1 hour ago, Mayamom said:

How does this occur?

They haven't issued the guidelines for this yet. If I read it correctly (still need to reread it), a PA board will issue the rules for certifying your 8,000hrs, as well as what will then be needed to certify if switching to a new specialty. I prefer things be spelled out in law, but administrative rules aren't bad either, especially because it is a PA board.

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18 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

Montana, Utah, and North Dakota, I believe. OR passed collaboration last year as well. 

I'm curious if people have info on Maine? Their law passed in the beginning of COVID; super fast tracked. Collaboration under 4K hours; no written agreement if over that. Just need to "consult" as needed. 

It sounds like one of the better practice laws but never seems to come up here. Awesome state too. All of NE is great for practice with recent updates to NH and VT as well. 

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2 hours ago, ohiovolffemtp said:

AZ is one of the states where I work.  I'll have to ask the hospital and my EM group what difference this will make.  I'm way over the hour requirement.

It'll likely only change the requirement to have a delegation agreement with SP filed with the the AZ PA board and having a SP on scripts. At the hospital level, NPs are required to have a SP cosigner despite independence so I don't see that changing for PAs, unfortunately.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/24/2023 at 10:34 AM, ohiovolffemtp said:

AZ is one of the states where I work.  I'll have to ask the hospital and my EM group what difference this will make.  I'm way over the hour requirement.

When we got "collaboration" here in California in 2016, my company knew nothing about it. Ask your state chapter and your state PA board. 

 

Edit:

Correction: California got a version of OTP (SB697) effective 2020... I got it mixed up with our reduction of chart note cosignature bill (reduced it to 5% at the time, now with SB697 it's determined at the practice level and can be zero) that passed in 2016.  

Edited by Joelseff
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