Today's employers want two things when it comes to their health care benefit programs: value and quality. To support this quest, leading brokers, employers and employer coalitions continue to push for reform in our health care system, aimed toward quality-based payment over volume.
A growing body of evidence shows that the nation's 123,000 certified physician assistants (PA-Cs) lower costs while improving health care quality. As a result, they can play a crucial role in helping health care organizations implement value-based reforms.
The road to value-based care is not an easy one
Employers and health care systems are working on the transformation to a value-based care system at the same time several other health care trends are presenting fresh obstacles. As the U.S. population ages, more patients suffer from chronic diseases and complex medical conditions, spurring a greater need for specialty care and imposing more demands on our nation's hospitals.
What is more, the American Association of Medical Colleges predicts a continuing physician shortage. So, the demand for care is going up while the supply of providers is going down, as the nation works to fundamentally change the health care delivery system.
Help is available
The realities of provider shortages, increasing demand for services, and system changes are why PAs can make a significant impact. According to new data from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), the number of Certified PAs continues to grow. The number of PAs per 1,000 physicians has increased over 23 percent over the last three years alone.
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