Upon completing an accredited physician assistant (PA) program, PAs must pass a certification examination in order to become licensed to practice. Those who pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination are issued the Physician Assistant—Certified (PA-C) credential by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). All states require PAs to be initially certified by NCCPA in order to practice. However, like physicians, recertification is a gray area.

The University of Colorado-Denver student who gained unauthorized access to Denver Health Medical Center by posing as a medical student will not be prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

“There have been times I know I have been too blunt, too strong, and I have had to own those. There is no such thing as a perfect leader. I am a work in progress.”

Although ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) has been around for about a decade, it is still challenging for institutions to create meaningful data that reflects their practices. This sample advance practice professional reappointment performance profile report that can be used to perform OPPE review for nurse practitioners in your emergency department.

The mix of definitions of advance practice professionals (APP) often causes confusion in organizations and medical staffs as they determine which level of practitioners require privileges. Some organizations are unnecessarily offering privileges to practitioners that do not require them. In addition to the waste and inefficiency of resources in doing this, remember that you have a definitive obligation to certify competency for all privileges granted. Therefore, don’t grant privileges unless you have to.

Published 7/19/17

As physician shortages grow, the number of advanced practice professionals (APP) applying for hospital and ambulatory privileges is rising rapidly. Despite this evolution, regulations and internal standards governing APPs’ work remain variable. Some states grant advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) full practice authority, while others permit narrower scopes of service and require a physician to provide direct oversight through a collaborative or supervisory agreement. The vast majority of states require physician assistants (PA) to work under such arrangements. To complicate matters, healthcare institutions may impose stricter practice parameters than those levied by their state.

Published 7/19/17

In states where advanced practice professionals (APP) must practice under a physician’s tutelage, a collaborative or su­pervisory agreement may be required to delineate the nature of this relationship.

Published 7/17/17

Carol Cairns, CPMSM, CPCS, discusses what categories of allied health professionals should have clinical privileges.

Answer our latest poll question and let us know if you have had advanced practice professionals (APP) receive training from their supervising/collaborating physician without being approved to do?

Check out (and contribute to) the latest conversations on topics ranging from NPDB self-queries to sedation QA program requirements.

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