HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recognized physician assistants as valuable healthcare providers during a general session at the American Academy of Physician Assistants' annual conference yesterday.
"In medically underserved communities, and particularly in rural areas, PAs are an incredible lifeline to patients who might not have regular access to other healthcare providers. So it's vital to do everything we can to bolster the work done by PAs," she said in her address, according to the news release.
Using the skills of PAs, along with other non-physician providers, is one way many hospitals and health systems are fighting the nationwide physician shortage. More than 10,000 PAs are expected to enter the workforce by 2020, according to the news release.
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"In medically underserved communities, and particularly in rural areas, PAs are an incredible lifeline to patients who might not have regular access to other healthcare providers. So it's vital to do everything we can to bolster the work done by PAs," she said in her address, according to the news release.
Using the skills of PAs, along with other non-physician providers, is one way many hospitals and health systems are fighting the nationwide physician shortage. More than 10,000 PAs are expected to enter the workforce by 2020, according to the news release.
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