lingeringmind Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I practice in a critical access hospital in rural Oregon. Our Med Staff bylaws are being rewritten and I want to know if there are any health entities such as hospitals, health districts, etc where PAs are voting members of the Med Staff? If so, if you could please share this with me, I'd appreciate it. NPs are voting members because they are "independent," but PAs are denied voting rights due to being "dependent." Any advise on how to fight this? Cheers, Keir Todd, PA-C Brookings, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted March 17, 2013 Administrator Share Posted March 17, 2013 Group Health Physicians has PAs and ODs as voting members of the medical staff... but they have to buy into the company, just like MD/DOs do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted March 17, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 17, 2013 aapa should help you out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnpac Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 It has nothing to do with being "independent," and everything to do with changing the bylaws that govern medical staff. If the medical staff staff of your facility votes affirmatively to extend membership to PAs, then it will happen. There is no federal or other prohibition to this. Here is a good starting point: http://www.aapa.org/uploadedFiles/content/About_AAPA/Governance/Resource_Items/03-MedStaffBylaws-Credentialing.pdf Related to CMS: http://www.aapa.org/news_and_publications/pa_pro_now/item.aspx?id=4264&terms=medical%20staff%20membership A JAAPA article by then President Killeen: http://www.jaapa.com/do-the-physician-assistants-in-your-hospital-have-a-voice/article/123760/ The PAs at our hospital are currently working on a bylaws revision to recognize PAs, NPs, and CRNAs as full members of medical staff. We are building support among the current voting membership, but already have the support of the medical staff office, chief of staff, and chair of surgery. We are hopefully we can get it done this year and have a long overdue voice in the governance of our facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon, PA-C Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I remember reading a story about a hospital in New England that allowed an NP voting privileges on their medical staff. He used his voting power to eliminate all MD providers in the ER and replace them with NPs! LOL I wonder if the MDs saw that one coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnpac Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I remember reading a story about a hospital in New England that allowed an NP voting privileges on their medical staff. He used his voting power to eliminate all MD providers in the ER and replace them with NPs! LOL I wonder if the MDs saw that one coming! Sounds like a BS urban legend to me. :-) Explain how one member / one vote could accomplish that? The supermajority of physicians members aren't about to allow an NP member vote to make any adverse (to physicians) difference in hospital governance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted March 17, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 17, 2013 I recall the news story, but not like that. Some NP was voted Chief of Medicine or something equally without precedent in a upper level position (not admin, something over other physicians). And they didn't throw out all the MDs, but a significant portion of staff had become NP in their rural ER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbellin Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Our By-law revision in the works extends full voting privileges to PA’s, NP’s, and CRNA’s. This will change the dynamics of the medical staff as currently there are only 5 doc’s in our hospital. We have including me the potential of adding 5 mid-levels with this change. Limitations exist lingeringmind in a critical access hospital (CAH) that NP’s won’t like. NP’s in CAH are not independent by Federal law and require supervision similar to a PA (a mid-level practitioner (physician assistant or nurse practitioner) may provide inpatient care under remote supervision of a physician). Also, in a CAH med staff office positions can only be filled by a physician, so even though we will be able to vote we cannot hold office. Lingeringmind I would be interested in your progress. If you wish you could PM me and we could compare notes. This can be a pivotal point in your hospital. These by-laws will probably stand for years and with recent recommendations to relax supervision requirements on PA’s and NP’s in rural facilities it can make your hospital on the cutting edge of PA utilization. http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/outreach/oregon-rural-health/hospitals/cah.cfm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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