Lisa P. Shock, MHS, PA-C Health reform is a hot topic and how Physician Assistants (PAs) will be included is of great interest. As the debate continues regarding health care delivery and cost effectiveness, there are many changes also pending on the documentation side of the clinical record. There are a multitude of terms in...
As a clinician, I have used more than 5 Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems in my career. I have experienced a full on practice implementation as well as a transition from one system to another, all while continuing to service patients and provide direct care. Maintaining patient flow, documentation and care coordination is a challenge...
National PA Week is approaching – October 6-12, 2011. Some of you may know that the original PA Day was Oct 6 – and that coincided with Dr. Eugene Stead’s birthday. Dr. Stead, as our founding father, was a local legend at Duke Medical Center and those of us fortunate to have known him remember...
As a clinician, I have used more than 5 Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems in my career. I have experienced a full on practice implementation as well as a transition from one system to another, all while continuing to service patients and provide direct care. Maintaining patient flow, ensuring accurate and documentation and arranging care...
Accepting responsibility to care for a given patient population with chronic disease (diabetes for example) involves a transformational shift from counting numbers of patients served to managing a population with a given chronic condition. As teams begin working to improve the quality of care, efficiency and patient service to such a designated population, a shift...
Since the creation of incident-to billing for non-physician providers (Physician Assistants – PAs, Nurse Practitioners – NPs) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), there has been significant confusion regarding proper billing and reimbursement for claims. I have often referred to the concept of incident to billing as the most misunderstood and misattributed...
Physician Assistants ( PAs) and Nurse Practitioners ( NPs ) are skilled medical professionals who play an integral part in health care delivery. Especially in primary care, PAs and NPs attract and manage a significant following of patients, especially in rural communities. Recruitment is challenging in more underserved areas, however, retention is often more important...
In this time of health reform, a crucial starting point for enabling overburdened primary care providers (PCPs) to move toward enhanced primary care delivery is to leverage nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to bolster PCP productivity and patient access. PAs and NPs are able to perform about 80% of a primary care physician’s...
As health care delivery continues to transform, the implementation of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) as a vehicle for patient care is rapidly expanding. Physician Assistants (PAs) are becoming increasingly recognized as important players on the patient care team. Recent studies from the American College of Physicians and the American College of Family Physicians...
Times are changing. It is refreshing and exciting to see college students now declare that they want to be a PA in the future. This is certainly different from just 15 years ago when I was on my journey toward a PA career as a student in the Duke PA program. This year, 17,000 PA...