By hiring a Physician Assistant (PA), Oklahoma hospitals, practices, and clinics can function more fully and enhance accessibility to care for your patients. Research has shown that physicians who employ PAs as part of their medical teams enjoy higher patient satisfaction levels, increased revenues, and more flexible work schedules, especially in solo-practice physician environments.
And for physicians, what can be better than having an extra pair of medically-trained eyes and hands assisting you? Imagine having extra hours in the week to research, concentrate on difficult cases, or take much-needed time away from the office.
Expand Your Practice
With one or more PAs on staff, your medical team can serve significantly more patients in a day, expand office hours to serve working families, or extend your practice by opening a satellite office. PAs can diagnose patients, order diagnostic tests, write prescriptions, and counsel patients on preventive health strategies. They can even manage the medical care in a satellite office for you as they have the ability to consult with you by phone if necessary. And even while your practice is growing, PAs can lighten your workload considerably. Physicians in Oklahoma can supervise up to four PAs at any given time.
Share the Load
More than half of Oklahoma’s counties do not have enough physicians to serve the population. Projected physician shortages are only expected to further this challenge. The PA profession was created over 50 years ago with this purpose in mind. What was once a one-on-one relationship has now evolved into a team-based practice with the physician as the lead. Physicians can collaborate with a team of PAs to expand the reach in all populations and specialties.
Find More Time
PAs can help you find more time, whether it’s for research and special cases, or personal and family time. As part of your medical team, a PA can provide patients with quality medical care on a daily basis with limited supervision. According to a study by the American Medical Association, solo practice physicians who employ PAs are able to work one week less per year on average and provide greater access to care for their patients. PAs can lighten your workload considerably, giving you more time to do what you need to do.
Increase Revenue
The typical PA brings in revenue of $231,000 with an average salary of $110,000 An average PA can boost a practice’s bottom line by $30,000 or more. Training costs for PAs are one-fifth of an allopathic physician According to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), PAs generate revenues beyond the cost of their paychecks. A study by the MGMA based on 2002 data revealed that for every dollar generated for PA care, the employer paid an average of 28 cents to employ the PA, or 32 cents to employ a surgical PA.
Increase Patient Accommodation
By hiring a PA (physician assistant), you can augment your medical staff, ensuring patients receive medical care faster, get all their questions answered, and are better satisfied with their health care team as a whole. Studies conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research found patient satisfaction levels with PAs high, ranging in the 90th percentile.
Providing excellent medical care as part of your medical team is what PAs do. Isn’t it time you hired a PA?