The Oregon Medical Board says its power to judge PA qualifications are essential to ensure patient safety. The OSPA and physicians say PAs should be able to work at their full capacity. The legislative draft, printed on Jan. 10, is a work in progress but already has some support in the House and Senate.
According to the report, the Board often prohibits PAs from doing procedures they have been performing for years. According to Ted Ruback, head of the PA training program at Oregon Health & Science University, the Board’s limitation of PA duties to certain “core competencies” in 2002 is now outdated. He says most states have now moved to a physician-delegated scope of practice for PAs, as physicians who work closely with their PAs are best suited to determine their ability to perform certain tasks.
Read the Lund Report release on the OSPA legislation.
Read more on physician issues:
–Rural Physicians, Specialists See Higher Average Compensation Than Those in Cities, Suburbs
–Rhode Island Representative Urges Insurers to Retain Physicians With Better Reimbursement
