With the growing patient population, more health systems are utilizing PAs and NPs.
PAs and NPs play a bigger role with the emphasis on team-based care
Patients today have multiple health issues. According to an article in CompHealth, hospitals and health systems nationwide are moving toward using more PAs and NPs and there is a greater emphasis on team-based care across all settings. With the growing number of patients seeking care, it is critical and necessary.
Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are skilled medical professionals who play an integral part in healthcare. Redesigning teams to include increased numbers of primary care providers, to include PAs and NPs, is a significant part of the solution to alleviate the well-known shortage in primary care.
Long Term Care:
NPs have been authorized to provide Medicare services to post-acute and long-term care facilities for nearly 30 years. Increasingly, medical directors and attending physicians rely on nurse practitioners as part of their team in the long term care setting.
PAs treat geriatric patients in long-term care facilities and their role is consistent: to provide medical care to seniors under the supervision of a physician. PAs as geriatric medical providers can offer comprehensive geriatric assessment with a focus on the functional status, cognitive status, and special needs of the patient.
Because adults over the age of 65 remain the fastest growing population in the United States, and because people continue to live longer, requiring care for both chronic and acute illnesses, the need for physician assistants in geriatrics remains strong.
Prescribing:
Nurse practitioners can prescribe medication, including controlled substances, in all 50 states and Washington DC. PAs are authorized to prescribe medications in all jurisdictions they are licensed.
PGx Medical works with NPs and PAs across the country educating and implementing pharmacogenetics within the field of aging services. With the shortage of staff in the long term care setting, it is more important then ever before to utilize these healthcare providers.
For more information on , or to schedule a speaker or educational webinar, contact us at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112
source: CompHealth, Okmedicalboard,