AAPA's Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management created the Employer of Excellence Awards to showcase PA employers that excel in creating PA-positive work environments and encourage collaborative provider teams. Apply today for the award – the first of its kind in healthcare.
As provider shortages impact patients across the U.S., PAs (physician assistants) continue to prove their immense value in healthcare. PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal provider. They work in every state, in every medical setting, and across all specialties. Studies demonstrate that they provide high-quality care, enhance patient satisfaction, and can improve an organization’s bottom line.
And their ranks continue to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the PA profession will increase by 37 percent between 2016 and 2026. Hospitals and healthcare organizations have embraced PAs as critical members of patient care teams. But for these employers to more fully realize the benefit of this highly trained and skilled workforce, they must create and nurture positive work environments for them to thrive.
To showcase progressive PA employers, the American Academy of PAs’ (AAPA) Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management (CHLM) launched the Employer of Excellence Awards. The annual award program is designed to showcase employers that have implemented practices that create positive environments and encourage collaborative provider teams. Available to PA employers including hospitals, staffing companies, and healthcare organizations, it’s the first and only PA-specific award in healthcare.
CHLM partnered with HealthStream, a leading provider of workforce, patient experience, and provider solutions for the healthcare industry, to gain an understanding of what PAs value in their place of employment. Based on the findings, criteria for the Employer of Excellence Awards focuses on five key drivers:
Facilitating a positive and supportive PA work environment.
Creating processes for effective conflict management.
Providing opportunities for PAs to provide meaningful input that leads to positive organizational change.
Informing PAs of organizational activity and decisions through communications.
Involving PAs in leadership efforts to improve the quality of patient care.
The Employer of Excellence Awards will honor employers that are committed to empowering PAs, promoting mutual respect and effective communication and collaboration among providers, and facilitating professional development. Employers that are recognized will be showcased as top places to work for PAs, which will enhance recruitment of highly qualified PAs, increase retention rates, and showcase the awardees as models in the healthcare industry.
The 2018-2019 EOE winners include: The Cleveland Clinic; NYU Langone Health; Wake Forest Baptist Health; MidMichigan Health; Hospital for Special Surgery; Brigham Health – Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; and El Centro Family Health. These initial winners illustrated the unique ways they go above and beyond to empower their PAs and promote mutual respect and effective communication among their healthcare providers.
Here are just a few examples from these eight hospitals and healthcare systems which illustrate how their PAs can practice at the top of their education and experience:
A program in which PAs independently staff clinics to increase patient access and quality of care;
Comprehensive onboarding programs designed to increase retention rates and competency levels;
Unique fellowship and research opportunities to allow PAs to practice at the top of their license;
And, PA-led councils that provide guidance to the C-suite on how to improve patient care and support for PAs.
Any organization in the United States that employs a minimum of 10 PAs is eligible to apply for the award. The online application opens Nov. 1 and must be submitted by Feb. 8, 2019. The awards will be presented at AAPA’s Annual Conference in Denver on May 18, 2019.
As the need for healthcare continues to grow and the physician shortage worsens, hospitals and other healthcare organizations need this secret weapon to remain efficient while providing the highest level of care for their patients.
As the need for healthcare continues to grow and the physician shortage worsens, it is no wonder that hospitals and other healthcare organizations have embraced PAs (physician assistants) and NPs (nurse practitioners). PAs and NPs can diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider. They practice in every state and in every medical setting. Studies demonstrate that they provide high-quality care, enhance patient satisfaction, and can improve an organization’s bottom line.
But the full benefit of this highly trained and skilled workforce is realized only when employers successfully integrate PAs and NPs into their care delivery models.
At the American Academy of PAs’ Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management (CHLM), we are convinced that the inefficient use of PA and NP time and skills will certainly hold back your organization’s performance and may lead to reduced patient satisfaction and employee morale. Making the most of PAs and NPs—with respect to both patient care and the organization's bottom line—requires a firm grasp of relevant federal and state laws, payer guidelines, and billing and reimbursement protocols, as well as an understanding of what drives PA and NP engagement. Established in 2014 to respond to employer concerns about how to fully utilize PAs and NPs, CHLM brings subject matter expertise to each of these critical areas.
In addition to CHLM’s broad knowledge of laws and regulations that apply to this workforce and a keen understanding of how hospitals and healthcare systems can create a PA and NP-friendly environment, we recognize the value of collecting unique data from each client. That includes comparing organizational bylaws to state and federal regulations, reviewing billing practices, identifying strategies for risk mitigation, and guiding them to successfully incorporate PAs and NPs in a way that aligns with the executive strategy of their organization.
Recent research confirms the value of PAs and NPs on the healthcare team, and the risks of not fully utilizing their skills and training. According to recent data from Medical Group Management Association, for example, medical practices are seeing greater profitability when they have more NPs and PAs per physician. Advance practice providers were listed as one of the “top priorities” for chief financial officers at Becker’s Review Annual Conference last year. And at the 2017 Healthcare Leadership Congress, research was presented estimating that 12 percent of every PA and NP’s billable tasks are not being captured. That may not sound like much, but in a system that employs 500 PAs and NPs, that’s about $8 million in charges left on the table each year.
In healthcare, value is defined as quality divided by cost. Quality is something employers should expect from all their providers therefore one has to analyze cost. PAs and NPs have been established as high-quality providers, are less expensive to employ, and when utilized optimally, employers see an immediate revenue increase per provider. Additionally, physicians are freed up for more complex services. The national median salaries for PAs and NPs are $104,860 and $110,930 respectively—both lower than the average salary for physicians—which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates to be about $208,000.
While salaries for PAs and NPs are lower than physicians, employers should not make the mistake of underutilizing this workforce. Here’s a quick example of sub-optimal utilization that can lead to frustrated employees and a loss of revenue. Let’s evaluate the numbers for a 30-minute new neurosurgical patient visit (99204 Level 4 New):
The half-hour pay for the surgeon is approximately $130 and $27 for the PA or NP.
Assuming a $131 billable event, by using the shared visit model of the surgeon and PA or NP both seeing the patient together, you’ve lost $36.
By only using the surgeon to see the patient, you’ve lost $9.
But by using the PA or NP for the new patient visit, you have a positive contribution margin of $84 (even at the 85 percent reimbursement rate) while the surgeon is seeing other complex patients or performing surgery.
As you can see, optimally utilizing these valuable providers makes sense for the bottom line – and failing to do so can be costly on all fronts. Smart healthcare leaders partner with organizations that can help them review billing strategies, understand state and federal regulations, and mitigate risk, while still keeping organizational priorities top of mind. Contact CHLM today to ensure that your organization is moving forward at the speed of healthcare.
AAPA's Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management created the Employer of Excellence Awards to showcase hospitals and health systems that excel in creating positive work environments for PAs. Learn more about this award.
No matter the profession, employers are an important and memorable part of any job. When looking back over a career, some employers will always stand above the rest. They afford opportunities for professional growth, create progressive work environments, and are invested in their employees’ success.
For PAs (physician assistants), the best employers are those that implement practices that create positive work environments and encourage collaborative provider teams. PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal provider. They work in every state, in every medical setting and across all specialties.
To showcase progressive employers and their inspiring work, the American Academy of PAs’ (AAPA) Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management (CHLM) launched the Employer of Excellence Awards. For the inaugural year, eight hospitals and health systems were selected as Employers of Excellence:
Brigham Health – Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Boston
The Cleveland Clinic – Cleveland
El Centro Family Health – Taos, New Mexico
Hospital for Special Surgery – New York
MidMichigan Health – Midland, Michigan
NYU Langone Health – New York
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance – Seattle
Wake Forest Baptist Health – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
When employers support their PA workforce and utilize PAs to their full potential, they see benefits not only to their organization but also to their patients. PAs are committed to team practice and working in collaboration with other providers. Ensuring that they can work at the top of their education and experience in engaging environments improves healthcare teams. And that’s good for patients.
CHLM partnered with HealthStream, a leading provider of workforce, patient experience, and provider solutions for the healthcare industry, to gain an understanding of what PAs value in their place of employment and to determine the criteria for recognition. Based on the survey findings, the criteria for the Employer of Excellence Awards focused on key drivers of engagement including:
Establishing a positive and supportive PA work environment.
Providing opportunities for PAs to provide meaningful input that leads to positive organizational change.
Keeping PAs informed about organizational activity and decisions.
Involving PAs in leadership efforts to improve the quality of patient care.
Creating processes for effective conflict management.
Awardees will retain their designation as an Employer of Excellence for two years, and then must re-apply to maintain the designation. This year’s winners were formally recognized by their peers at AAPA 2018 in New Orleans, but there are many other benefits that come with this recognition.
By being publicly showcased as a top place to work for PAs, awardees can expect enhanced recruitment of highly qualified PAs from around the country. Status as an Employer of Excellence can also help to increase retention rates, reduce turnover rates among PAs, and deliver the message to patients that engaged, involved, and satisfied PAs lead to better patient care and quality outcomes. The Employers of Excellence are model PA employers in the healthcare industry, which provides opportunities for them to share their stories of effective team practice and PA-positive work environments.
Here are just a few examples from these eight hospitals and healthcare systems which illustrate how their PAs can practice at the top of their education and experience:
A program in which PAs independently staff clinics to increase patient access and quality of care;
A creative reporting structure that establishes collaborative partnerships between PAs and physicians;
Comprehensive onboarding programs designed to increase retention rates and competency levels;
And, PA-led councils that provide guidance to the C-suite on how to improve patient care and support for PAs.
This award is perfectly aligned with CHLM’s mission of working directly with hospitals and health systems to enhance team-based patient care. CHLM provides expertise, analytics and industry best practices to help clients evaluate organizational alternatives designed to improve the effectiveness of their provider workforce.
The next application period opens in the fall of 2018. Any hospital or health system in the United States that employs PAs is eligible to apply. The Employer of Excellence Award is the first and only PA-specific award program available to hospitals and health systems. If your hospital or health system employs PAs and fosters a PA-positive work environment, it could be the next winner.
