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Profitability
of Using Physician Assistants in a Medical Practice
It’s
a noble profession no doubt, but if medical practitioners need to stay in
business, they have to look at the business side of their practice too. And one
way to do this without affecting their patients in any adverse way is to hire
the services of physician assistants. They’re sometimes as doctors, they
don’t cost as much to hire, and they’re great substitutes for times when you
have to be out of the office. The profitability of using physician assistants in
a medical practice can be seen through:
- Improved
Efficiency: Your
practice becomes more efficient because you can hire a larger number of
physician assistants (PA) instead of a few doctors. PAs are not as expensive
to hire as doctors are and most of them are versatile and some with their
own specializations. Doctors can rest assured that their patients are in the
best care possible when they’re not around to handle their complaints.
Also, statistics show that patients, if they have to be treated by a
non-physician practitioner, prefer a physician assistant to a nurse
practitioner, clinical nurse specialist and certified nurse midwives.
- Decreased
workload:
Capable physician assistants allow doctors to reduce their workloads and
thus become more efficient and less prone to errors in the process. They can
perform activities ranging from treating patients to assisting in surgeries
if they are so qualified. They are also allowed to work in emergency rooms
and provide trauma care.
- Continuity
of treatment:
Physician assistants are a great benefit when it comes to dealing with
patients who require long term and continued care that necessitate regular
follow-up treatments, like those who have diabetes and high blood pressure.
Doctors are free to attend to tasks that are more complicated and that
require more attention.
- Increased
patient satisfaction: Patients
are more satisfied with the care provided because they don’t have to
suffer long waiting times in crowded rooms. They also benefit from seeing a
qualified care provider any time they visit the healthcare facility instead
of having to wait for hours or come back at a later time.
- Expanded
Practice: As
a natural consequence of all the above, your practice is bound to do well
and extends opportunities for expansion with a subsequent increase in
profits.
According
to data from the
American
Academy
of Physician Assistants, you incur an average of 28 cents in costs for every
dollar of charges a primary care PA generates for any practice. Your expenses go
up to 32 cents if you’re looking for a surgical PA, but that’s still a huge
savings for you and your practice.
By-line:
This
article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of online
radiography schools. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing
job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.
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