Physician assistants and nurses are urging Massachusetts lawmakers to pass a bill that would label them as providers and increase their scope of responsibility, according to a WWLP News report.
Arguing that physician assistants cost significantly less to educate and hire, advocates of the bill estimate that Massachusetts could save $4 to $8 billion over the next 10 years by maximizing use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants as primary care providers.
The Massachusetts Medical Society opposes the bill, arguing that the legislation infringes on a patient's right to access a primary care physician and poses a threat to patient safety by allowing access to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant when a physician's care would be more appropriate. MMS also argued that the legislation is a means of increase bargaining power with insurers and public payers.
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Arguing that physician assistants cost significantly less to educate and hire, advocates of the bill estimate that Massachusetts could save $4 to $8 billion over the next 10 years by maximizing use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants as primary care providers.
The Massachusetts Medical Society opposes the bill, arguing that the legislation infringes on a patient's right to access a primary care physician and poses a threat to patient safety by allowing access to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant when a physician's care would be more appropriate. MMS also argued that the legislation is a means of increase bargaining power with insurers and public payers.
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