Abstract:
California like many other states is facing a severe shortage of primary care physicians and access to primary care is uneven across the state. It is well documented that California has the highest number of designated primary care health professional shortage areas in the country. Although physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) are estimated to make up a large portion of California\'s primary care workforce by 2030, outdated and unnecessary statutory requirements such as the physician-to-PA supervision ratio requirement represent a practice barrier in expanding access to care. Other states have either eliminated or revised their physician-to-PA supervision ratios in favor of expanding access to health care services. Therefore, this editorial represents a call for coordinated actions from local and state entities to address California\'s outdated physician-to-PA supervision ratio requirement. NPs are mentioned briefly as they have achieved a pathway to full practice authority in California.
摘要:
与其他许多州一样,加利福尼亚州正面临着初级保健医生的严重短缺,全州获得初级保健的机会参差不齐。有据可查,加利福尼亚州的指定初级保健专业人员短缺地区数量最多。尽管到2030年,医生助理(PA)和护士从业人员(NPs)估计将占加利福尼亚州初级保健劳动力的很大一部分,但过时且不必要的法定要求,例如医生与PA的监督比率要求代表了扩大获得护理的实践障碍。其他州已经取消或修改了医生与PA的监督比率,以扩大获得医疗保健服务的机会。因此,这篇社论呼吁地方和州实体采取协调行动,以解决加州过时的医生与PA监督比例要求。NPs被简要提及,因为他们已经实现了在加利福尼亚州获得全面实践权威的途径。