Relief is coming for health care workers in North Carolina, according to physician assistant Jessica Veale.She's feeling confident after Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 67 into law.The bill has two major parts, one pulls back supervision on experienced PAs that have worked more than 4,000 hours."North Carolinians average about a wait time of one month to see a health care provider. And so House Bill 67 will allow for increased access to and quicker access to health care providers," Veale said.Currently, even the most experienced PAs must have frequent quality meetings with supervisors. "PAs will not have to have quality improvement meetings, and have documentation that is kept on file. And so these are some of the administrative burdens that will be reduced and allow us to see more patients," Veale said. She says this can get in the way of helping patients, especially in emergency situations. "So you can practice in emergency medicine for 16 years. But if it is at this one clinical practice site, there was red tape where you couldn't necessarily easily go and provide emergency response to our individuals in Asheville and things like that," she said.Veale, a member of the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants, says this new law will help rural areas too."In some of the rural areas where your supervising physician may not be directly on site, that is, you know, trying to find time to set up a calendar invite to connect, and, you know, blocking off that time from patient care," she said.The bill also joins a national PA Licensure Compact. That means North Carolina can help and receive help from 18 other states by letting out-of-state licensed PAs work, too. "If I am seeing a patient in my home state that then travels off and goes to college and I want to set up a telemedicine visit to check in, if that, if I have a license in a compact state, then I will be able to, also have a telemedicine appointment with that patient," Veale said.
, N.C. —
Relief is coming for health care workers in North Carolina, according to physician assistant Jessica Veale.
She's feeling confident after Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 67 into law.
The bill has two major parts, one pulls back supervision on experienced PAs that have worked more than 4,000 hours.
"North Carolinians average about a wait time of one month to see a health care provider. And so House Bill 67 will allow for increased access to and quicker access to health care providers," Veale said.
Currently, even the most experienced PAs must have frequent quality meetings with supervisors.
"PAs will not have to have quality improvement meetings, and have documentation that is kept on file. And so these are some of the administrative burdens that will be reduced and allow us to see more patients," Veale said.
She says this can get in the way of helping patients, especially in emergency situations.
"So you can practice in emergency medicine for 16 years. But if it is at this one clinical practice site, there was red tape where you couldn't necessarily easily go and provide emergency response to our individuals in Asheville and things like that," she said.
Veale, a member of the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants, says this new law will help rural areas too.
"In some of the rural areas where your supervising physician may not be directly on site, that is, you know, trying to find time to set up a calendar invite to connect, and, you know, blocking off that time from patient care," she said.
The bill also joins a national PA Licensure Compact. That means North Carolina can help and receive help from 18 other states by letting out-of-state licensed PAs work, too.
"If I am seeing a patient in my home state that then travels off and goes to college and I want to set up a telemedicine visit to check in, if that, if I have a license in a compact state, then I will be able to, also have a telemedicine appointment with that patient," Veale said.
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