A recently published article in Academic Medicine examines the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act on large medical education programs, including the University of Washington. Entire sections address the critical importance of physician assistants in implementation of the ACA. It reads, in part:
“In the Pacific Northwest, PAs play an important role in primary care and increasing access to health care in geographically remote communities. The availability of PAs, as well as of nurse practitioners, has helped stabilize the practice of small-town specialists who need help but cannot necessarily justify the costly employment of another physician.”
The full article can be obtained from Academic Medicine.
Citation: Allen SM, Ballweg RA, Cosgrove EM, et al. Challenges and opportunities in building a sustainable rural primary care workforce in alignment with the Affordable Care Act: The WWAMI program as a case study. Acad Med. 2013;88(12):1862-1869.