MAPA
MASSACHUSETTS
ASSOCIATION of PAs
Please Support H.2217
An Act Relative to Limited
Service Clinics
Sponsored by Rep. Kay Khan
The Issue:
Physician Assistants in Massachusetts work in a wide
array of locations and specialties, including hospitals,
urgent care centers, physicians' offices, outpatient
clinics, and schools
Access to physician assistant care has been shown to
reduce primary care shortages, improve patient
health, and improve cost and efficiency in medical
settings. PAs must obtain a three-year master's degree
with robust classroom instruction and over 2,000
hours of clinical rotations. PAs are authorized to work
in every medical specialty, including primary care and
emergency medicine.
Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners
have similar levels of training and a similar
scope of practice; however, an outdated
statute does not allow Physician Assistants
to work in limited service clinics in the
Commonwealth.
CVS Minute Clinic, which is the largest group
of limited services clinics in the state, hires
PAs in almost every other state - however
they cannot do so in Massachusetts without
this change in statute.
The Impact:
Now more than ever, flexibility in healthcare is critical in preventing shortages and facilitating access to
care. Many Physician Assistants are uniquely qualified to work in limited service clinics: over 15% of the
4,000 PAs in the Commonwealth work in the emergency department of their practice, and many have
obtained a Certification of Added Qualification (CAQ) indicating additional education and years of
experience in the field of emergency medicine. Keeping qualified medical professionals out of limited
service clinics reduces access to patients by keeping positions open when they could be filled by a PA,
inhibiting a limited service clinic's ability to fill a niche in our healthcare system and provide high-quality,
low-cost care. Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that all providers are able to
practice at the top of their licenses and provide care is critical to ensuring that patients are able to
access adequate services in a timely and efficient manner, including testing for the coronavirus.
The Solution:
PAs have the requisite training and experience to provide care to patients in limited service clinics across
the Commonwealth, and enabling Physician Assistants to practice at the top of their license would have a
positive impact on public health across Massachusetts and increase access to care.
MAPA
MASSACHUSETTS
ASSOCIATION of PAs
An Act Enabling Physician Assistants to
Authorize Psychiatric Holds and Ensure
Adequate Training on Their Use (H.2007)
Overview:
Sponsored by Rep. Ted Phillips
This bill modifies MGL Section 12 of Ch. 123 (emergency restraint and hospitalization of persons posing
risk of serious harm because of mental illness) by adding physician assistants to the list of medical
professionals (such as physicians and nurse practitioners) who can restrain or authorize the restraint of
those posing a threat to themselves or others for three days, as well as apply for their hospitalization.
With this change in statute, PAs could place a temporary hold on a patient in an emergency
setting, promoting the safety of both the patient and the public.
We acknowledge that placing an emergency restrain and hold upon someone is not something to be taken
lightly at all, and as part of this bill, we also propose that any practitioner or person able to put someone on
a Section 12 hold should also be required to perform necessary training
Why We Need H.2007
39% of the PAs in our state practice in a primary care setting and have a caseload of patients with whom they work
closely. Almost 30% of Massachusetts PAs work in an ambulatory or community hospital setting.
Whether in an emergency health setting or a private practice, PAs overwhelmingly work directly with patients
in a clinical setting and are often the first provider to evaluate a patient who is at risk of
harming themselves or others.
Under current laws, a PA who believes a patient requires hospitalization because of mental illness must solicit the
support of a qualifying medical provider, such as a physician or nurse practitioner, to authorize an emergency hold.
The qualifying individual often has no relationship with the individual and is expected to attest to the patient's mental
health status. Additionally, when PAs have to track down a qualified provider to authorize a hold, this process can result
in delayed care or even leave a patient unsupervised.
In order to be licensed in Massachusetts, all PAs must have passed the PANCE (PA National Certifying Examination).
One of the subjects covered on the examination is psychiatry/behavioral health. To keep patients and those around
them safe; PAs should be added to the list of medical professionals who are permitted to place patients on Section 12
psychiatric holds.
Please Support H.2007, An Act Enabling Physician Assistants to
Authorize Psychiatric Holds and Ensure Adequate Training on Their Use
MADA
MASSACHUSETTS
ASSOCIATION of PAs l
Please support H.1950
An Act Relative to Physician Assistant
Non-Competes
Sponsored by former Representative Jon Santiago
H.1950 will prohibit employers from requiring physician
assistants to sign non-competition agreements
Non-compete agreements in MA
The following professions have prohibitions on non-compete clauses in
Massachusetts: physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, broadcast
industry workers and lawyers.
However, PAs are not included in this list of protected professions, and we
believe this is an instance in which Massachusetts law has not kept up with
new professions.
In 2018, MA passed legislation to reform non-compete law, significantly
restricting employers' use of non-compete agreements. As we continue to
regulate these agreements, we must prioritize protections for health care
providers to prevent restrictions in access to quality care.
Why we need H.1950
This bill will provide PAs with the same protections the state provides for
other healthcare and social service providers in the Commonwealth.
Many states across the country have passed similar laws protecting
healthcare providers from harmful non-competes.
Over the years, lawmakers have added professions to this list to protect their
right to practice. In the case of health care providers, these protections
expand job mobility, preventing non-competes from restricting access to
health care professionals.
There is an insurmountable number of healthcare providers who are
experiencing burnout, and this is causing a critical shortage of providers.
As providers who work directly with patients in every type of healthcare
setting, it is time that we add PAs to this list of protected professions.
H.1950 would allow PAs to work without restriction and would help
increase access to healthcare across Massachusetts.
Please contact Kate Worrall at kworrall@charlesgroupconsulting.com
MAPA
MASSACHUSETTS
ASSOCIATION of PAs
Please Support S.1354/H.2135
An Act Relative to Removing Barriers
to Care for Physician Assistants
Sponsored by Senator Julian Cyr &
Rep. Christine Barber
Currently, a PA practicing in Massachusetts must
have a "Supervising Physician" on file with the
Commonwealth. However, the structure of our
healthcare system has changed dramatically in
the 50 years since the PA profession was
founded in the mid-1960s. When PAs first began
practicing, most PAs and physicians worked
together directly in a solo or small private
oracuce
The Emergency Order proved incredibly
effective in increasing access to care and
decreasing healthcare costs throughout the
over one year it was in place. In fact,
institutions such as Brigham and Women's
Hospital reported that this change enabled
them to redeploy approximately half of their
PA workforce to the areas of the hospital
which needed the most help.
2
In March 2020, as the Commonwealth was at
the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baker
Administration issued an Emergency Order,
which temporarily removed the need for a PA to
file a supervising physician with the state,
enabling PAs to more easily and quickly be re-
deployed into other areas of hospitals or
healthcare centers to treat patients and
increase access to care.
S.1354/H.2135 would streamline service,
increase access to care, lower healthcare
costs, and allow PAs in Massachusetts to
practice at the top of their license. This
language would not give PAs the ability to
practice independently - but rather would
give institutions increased flexibility and
autonomy to utilize PAs in the best possible
way to maximize care.
6
We believe that PAs must be recognized in
their rightful place as critical members of
our healthcare system who have been
working on the frontlines not just
throughout this pandemic, but for decades.
There are a number of states which have
similarly eliminated the supervisory
requirement from the
PA-physician relationship, including:
Tennessee, New Mexico, Illinois, Michigan,
Indiana, Virginia, and Missouri.
Please contact Kate Worrall at kworrall@charlesgroupconsulting.com
to learn more about this legislation
Or, for more information visit: https://mass-pa.com/
