Physician Assistant - Legislative Coordinating Commission
Transcription
Physician Assistant - Legislative Coordinating Commission
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION & PRACTICE DATA PRESENTATION- AUGUST 25, 2014 PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) EDUCATION AND PRACTICE Legislative Health Care Workforce Testimony: Monday, August 25, 2014 Heather KT Bidinger MMS PA-C Minnesota Association of Physician Assistants (MAPA) Program Director: St. Catherine University PA Program Presentation Addressing Key Questions Requested From PA Profession Representation ~input provided by educational programs and professional association members~ WHAT IS THE STATUS OF PA TRAINING IN MN? AUGUST 2014 MN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) PROGRAMS • Augsburg College • 1st Program accredited- Continued Accreditation • Started in 1995 and has graduated approx. 475 students • St. Catherine University • 2nd Program accredited-Provisional; March, 2012 • Started 2012 – First graduation- December 2014; 24 students • Bethel College: • 3rd Program Accredited- Provisional; March, 2013 • Started 2013- First graduation-August 2015; 31 students OTHER PA TRAINING PROGRAMS *The University WI—LaCrosse/Mayo/Gunderson Program often considered a WI and a MN Program **College of St. Scholastica is in process of developing a PA training program- Provisional accreditation visit scheduled 2016. PA GRADUATES NOW AND IN 5 YEARS Program 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Augsburg College 50** 30 24 24 24 Bethel College n/a 31 32 32 32 St. Catherine University 24 32 32 32 32 St. Scholastica* n/a n/a n/a n/a 24 University of WI; 18 19 19 19 19 Total Graduates 92 112 107 107 131 * Pending provisional accreditation visit ** Two cohorts due to change in calendaring and graduation SPECIALTY CARE VS. PRIMARY CARE WH E R E M N P H Y S I C I A N A S S I S T A N T S P R A C T I C E PA PRACTICE IN PRIMARY CARE • PAs are educated for General Practice: • Students Don’t Self Select Primary vs. Specialty Care as a standard of education or training • no required residency • Certificates of Added Qualification (CAQ): new and only in specialties • Primary Care Definition: • AAPA standard definition includes the practices of: Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics and OB/Gyn Practice • Data is fluid and can be difficult to obtain • PAs often change practice specialty • Market availability- PAs preferring primary care often take specialty jobs due to availability and location. MN PA PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE DATA • MN Department of Health • MN Primary Care Workforce Report: “All PAs in Primary Care” • National data on state specifics not current, no CAQ • AAPA Annual Survey- MN Specific 2013 • 35.3% Primary Care- of which 30.9% were in Family Medicine • PA Program Data • Augsburg: Over the past 3 years- average is 56% in primary care and 54% in specialty care. • U of WI: estimates in last 3 years- 4-7 of each class of 19 are in primary care: 22-36% • New Programs: no graduates- first data available 2015 METRO VS. RURAL PRACTICE • MN Department of Health • MN Primary Care Workforce Report: 80% Urban; 20% Rural • AAPA Data for MN (2013) • 4.5% Practice Settings were at Certified Rural Health Clinic • Program Specific Data: • Definition of Rural Practice: greater than 50 miles from a major metropolitan area and population less than 15,000) - Augsburg: - 12% of graduates/year: closer to 20% in earlier years, but since 2010, staying at 12% of graduates go to rural practice. - New Programs- no data until graduation and employment LOCATION OF CLINICAL TRAINING • MERC data- PA education is included in MERC data Program Data • Augsburg College Program Data • • • Not “rural” as not adequate number of adequate sites “IN” or “OUT” of 7 county metro area Predicting for the need of more OUT due to lack of access IN; also anticipating need for more out of state • • 2013: 72% IN 28% OUT and 5% out of state 2014: 65% IN 35% OUT and 10% out of state • Bethel • • Students are instructed that 30% placements outside of metroFor students from rural or outlying areas- this % greater • St. Catherine University • • • First class in clinic (24) 10% Rural and 90% Urban Would desire more rural if site availability/opportunity existed Unable to accommodate 2 students in rural practice from rural home regions • University of WI; L/M/G • All Family Medicine placements rural; and “others” WHAT ARE THE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION OVERVIEW OF PA TRAINING • PA Programs are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). • PAs are educated in a medical model • PAs are educated in didactic and clinical programs; the curriculum focuses on classroom and laboratory instruction followed by clinical rotations or clerkships. • PA Programs are considered intense and rigorous. The average length of PA Programs is 28 months, the credit hour equivalents range from 80-120, averaging around 100 credit hours. • As of 2010, the ARC-PA requires all PA Programs in development to award a masters degree. *Profession has grown from a competency based training. DIDACTIC TRAINING • Classroom instruction includes courses in basic, medical and behavioral sciences: Gross Anatomy Physiology Microbiology Biochemistry Pharmacology Pathology Ethics, Professionalism, Law and Medicine Clinical Medicine Physical Exam Diagnostic Processes • Students are typically in class 36- 40 hours a week and are delivered year round. CLINICAL TRAINING • Students avg. 2000 hours in clinical rotations. (AAPA) • Clinical experiences must allow students to participate in the care of patients of all ages and in multiple healthcare settings. (ARC-PA) • • • • Ambulatory In-patient/hospital based Surgical Emergent • Clinical experiences similar between programs: • Family Practice, Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Electives* MN PROGRAM TRAINING TIMING MN PA Programs Total Months Didactic Months Clinical Months Augsburg College 31 18 13 Bethel College 27 15 12 St. Catherine University 28 14 14 University of WI: G/LC 24 12 12 St. Scholastica 24* *projected WHAT IS SPENT EDUCATING A PA FROM START TO FINISH WH E R E D O T H E S E D O L L A R S C O M E F R O M ? THE COST OF PA EDUCATION • Operational/Existing vs. Cost of Program Start Up? • Operational • Anticipated budget of 1 M to educate a cohort of 30 students (AAPA); • This is in line with Augsburg and St. Kate’s data • Start Up New Program • Mean start up cost is 1.5 M (PAEA, 2013) • Mean start up cost in 2010 data; (ARC-PA 11/12/10) • .75-1 M without capital improvements • 2-3 M with building or renovation needed for program delivery; HOW IS PA EDUCATION FUNDED? Funding of PA Education: 1. Mainly Funded by Student Tuition! 2. Small Amount from endowments or gifting 3. National funding- increasingly rare • Ex: HRSA expansion grant – 2012, but included veteran criteria, not awarded to MN programs Cost of PA Program Development • Funding by Academic Institution- budget/endowment • Upfront cost 2-3 years prior to student matriculation ADDITIONAL NEEDS IN PA EDUCATION Human Resources Physical Resources & Equipment Program Director Medical Director Administrative Support 2-3+ min. Core Faculty Adjunct Faculty- areas of expertise, • Many instructors- areas of specialty practice • • • • • • Classrooms • Laboratory or Physical Exam Space • Offices • Anatomy Lab- if dissection ================== • Equipment • Supplies CLINICAL RESOURCE NEEDS *Average PA Program has 12 month of clinical education and on average 2000 clinical hours. • Time and Workload intense: 2-3 faculty, admin support • Can be a direct expense to programs as more clinical sites nationally are requiring payment for training • Program Specific: • Augsburg: need 330 placements per year; use approximately 70 different sites and over 150 different clinical instructors during that time. • St. Catherine University: 416 placements per cohort; 1st year of clinical education not completed and will be evaluated in December, 2014 PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION CHALLENGES, ISSUES, TRENDS CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN PA EDUCATION Challenges: • Quantity of Quality Clinical Education Sites! • Availability of Qualified Faculty • Faculty Demands Issues: • Local Market Readiness for Graduates • Healthcare Reform; Implementation Unknowns QUALITY CLINICAL SITE TRAINING AVAILABILITY • Competition with other HC Students; mainly medicine/APN • Loss of access to rural educational opportunities • Preference of HC facilities: to train one discipline over another or from one academic institution over another • Centralizing of placements- lost access to provider network • Mergers of small clinics to larger institutions; providers say yes, system says no • Non-uniform onboarding/credentialing, EMR requirements • Heavy administrative burden • CMS regulations in documentation and billing • Provider productivity; concern that having students impact income potential; incorporating students into practice flow • MERC money but… no direct revenue or incentive to providers to train students; no direct funding or payment PA PROGRAM FACULTY • Recent Increase of Programs• Demand exceeding the supply of experienced faculty or those in clinical practice who may choose income reduction to teach • Pay scale discrepancies from practice to faculty • New grads are projected to earn more than PA faculty • Loan burden prohibitive to moving roles • Academic degree requirements; Masters- Doctorate • 1997-98 less than 5 programs offered Masters degrees • (2010) requirement of PA Masters for all Programs MERC MEETING SUMMARY OF PA MAY 2014 Most Important Issues: 1. 2. 3. Quality Clinical Sites Quality PA Faculty Primary Care Job Availability Numbers of PAs in MN: 1878 Work Force Needs: 1. 2. 3. Conflicting information on workforce needs as delivery of healthcare is changing with team and home care models The need is projected to exceed graduates but graduates not finding primary care jobs. Profession posed to assist in Mental Health shortage but limited due to reimbursement issues MERC MEETING SUMMARY MAY 2014 Any Legislative/Practice acts pursued: 1. Request for reimbursement for outpatient mental health patients with MA coverage 2. Ratio of MD/PA limit removed; alternate supervisor Clinical Training Challenges: 1. Adequate quality sites 2. Heavy administrative burden 3. TCCP potential for help- needs work Clinical Training Finance Issues 1. MN Programs in general, not paying for sites 2. Out of state students are paying in state for sites- concerning PA WORK FORCE UNKNOWNS Additional from MERC: Sustainability of 4 PA Programs in MN? 1. 120 PA students per year in the clinic starting in 2017/18, in an already saturated clinical market. 2. Does this meet work plan in the state for where PA can/should be employed What are Healthcare Organizations Strategic Plans for PA Employment and Models of PA Utilization ? PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PRACTICE CHALLENGES, ISSUES, TRENDS MN PA PRACTICE: CHALLENGES • MN Landscape • • • • Distribution of primary care vs specialty job availability Regional & Organizational preferences between APPs General misperceptions on supervision & scope of practice Healthcare reform- unsure of PA utilization changes- when and what? (Academia can adapt to prepare if known) • Legislative Initiatives • Rule of Physician to PA ratios removed from statute • Alternate supervising physician at site, not state level • Reimbursement for PAs outpatient MA mental health care MN PA PRACTICE TRENDS Trends: • Fewer Primary Care positions available • More PAs still pursing specialty practice • Fewer PAs having worked with underserved • Changes in utilization- unsure of how this will affect scope of practice, delivery of care, etc. • In the next 12 months- new to MN= multiple programs graduating students- ? employment rates CONCLUSION • PA are trained in general medicine, poised for specialty practice, trained in team based care and can be adaptable to market needs • primary care vs specialty (i.e. mental health, emergency med) • Could better maximize utilization of PAs in practice • In delivery of care models (primary, extension, panel) • MN PA graduates will over double in the next 12 months. • Unknowns as to the availability of jobs for graduates despite the calculations of work force needs • Primary challenge of educating PAs is having adequate clinical education sites- already difficult, not sustainable