In the July 30 letter, the AAPA called on the AMA to drop its campaign in an “effort to maintain outdated practices” and suggested a more collaborative approach to tackling provider shortages and strengthening U.S. healthcare. It asked AMA leadership to meet with the AAPA to discuss the request by Aug. 30. After the deadline was missed, the AAPA sent a Sept. 3 letter to express concern about the lack of response and highlighted a letter signed by more than 8,000 physician assistants that shared the concern over AMA’s approach. According to an AAPA survey, 96% of PAs said AMA’s campaign has had a negative effect on addressing workforce shortages in healthcare.
“It is clear from these findings that the AMA’s intentional use of misleading information about PAs’ ability to provide safe, high-quality care has serious consequences for our healthcare system and patients,” AAPA President Jason Prevelige, DMSc, PA-C, and CEO Lisa Gables wrote in the Sept. 3 letter. “When patients are misled or misinformed about the qualifications and expertise of PAs, they may delay seeking care when a highly trained and qualified PA is available and able to treat them.”
AMA President Bruce Scott, MD, responded to the two letters in a Sept. 19 letter, saying that the AMA “greatly values and respects” contributions of physicians assistants to the healthcare team and that its scope of practice campaign is based on long-standing and extensive AMA policy that is often in response to legislative efforts.
“This includes bills based on model language offered by the AAPA, that we believe would dismantle the care team,” Mr. Scott said in the letter. “We are proud of our efforts to defeat these bills and will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of our members and patients to preserve patient access to physician-led care, which survey after survey shows is what patients want.”
The letter cited a recent AMA survey that found 95% of patients said they want and expect a physician to be involved in diagnosis and treatment.
“Physician assistants have neither the same skill set nor the breadth of experience of physicians, as is evident by the fact that physician assistants have a fraction of physicians’ education and training,” the letter said. “To claim otherwise is simply incorrect and even more critically, confusing to patients. This is why the AMA firmly believes that all patients, including patients in rural and underserved communities, deserve access to physician-led team-based care.”
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