Here are seven things to know:
1. The current law mandates physicians sign off on 10 percent of patient cases involving PAs.
2. If an electronic medical record cannot identify the case, physicians spend less time with patients, ultimately interfering with patient care.
3. Thus, the new law seeks to get rid of the sign-off process. An emergency room physician says some cases, such as a lance of an abscess, do not require serious physician review.
4. Many physicians wanted to hire PAs, but institutions would not let them because of the 10 percent sign-off process.
5. Stacey Sale, president of the Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants, says, “Now, maybe you could increase the amount of patients you see with the agreement with your doctor that you’ll hand over certain ones which on one day could be one, other days could be five, other days could be zero. I think that just makes care more efficient.”
6. Physicians would still sign off on medical care in highly specialized cases.
7. So far, the Senate Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee has signed off on the bill.
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