The Physician assistants’ practice was introduced in the United States of America during the late 1960s. The introduction of Physician assistants was to address the shortage of doctors (Hooker, Roderick and Everette, 20) Physician assistants have provided remarkable support to the physicians alongside the nurses in the USA. Their contribution especially in the primary healthcare can, therefore, not be underestimated. The increase in the physician assistants’ number over the years has been due to the global shortage of primary care doctors. The employment of the physician assistants has been a reasonable strategy in the primary healthcare provision in diverse populations (hooker, Roderick and Everette, 21). The productivity of the physician assistants in the USA has been very encouraging, with the physicians performing 64.1 percent of outpatient visits per week. The productivity is significant compared to 74.2 visits performed by the physicians (Hooker, Roderick and Everette, 23).
Physician assistants have contributed immensely to the reduction of costs in the provision of healthcare in the United States of America. Physician assistant employment is cost effective because their remuneration is relatively low compared to that of a physician. According to Everett, Christine, et al. 1946, an increase in the number of physician assistants employed to the primary health care service lead to effective contribution. The studies also reveal that approximately half of physician assistants reported to work with willingness to employ their skills. Physician assistants help in the management of patients with acute presentations in the primary health care centers, at a much lower cost in the USA. Their service is cost effective as more physician assistants are employed compared to the doctors. The government realizes reduced costs and high productivity as a result of employing more physician assistants in the health centers. Their training is much simpler compared to the full physician.
Works Cited
Everett, Christine, et al. "Physician assistants and nurse practitioners perform effective roles on teams caring for Medicare patients with diabetes." Health Affairs 32.11 (2013): 1942-1948
Hooker, Roderick S., and Christine M. Everett. "The contributions of physician assistants in primary care systems." Health & social care in the community 20.1 (2012): 20-31.
