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Distributed each spring following the close of Indiana's legislative session, the Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants' IN the Know Survey is an annual priorities survey open to all Indiana PAs. The IN the Know Survey seeks to gather information on the views and wishes of Indiana PAs to be utilized to help guide IAPA's current and future legislative and advocacy goals and ensure they continue represent the current wishes of ALL Indiana PAs. 2023 Survey Results: |
| Most Important: Increasing the Awareness of the PA Profession to the Public in Indiana For the second year in a row, this was deemed your most important priority! Your Indiana Academy of PAs will continue to expand the footprint of Indiana Physician Assistant public exposure. The Public Relations & Communications Committee is committed to highlighting the impact and value of Physician Assistants to Hoosiers across the state. To increase the public perception what PAs can and are doing, IAPA is excited to continue to focus on and highlight the advanced and exceptional responsibilities, tasks and roles Indiana PAs play. IAPA's Legislative and Advocacy Committee continues to continue working hard with hospital systems across the state to correct processes that unfairly negatively impact PAs and increase awareness of the value and expertise PAs bring! Please feel free to click on the link above to access IAPA's most recent news, links to public television news interviews/specials, as well as our public social media channels, to like, follow and watch! Preferential Employment of NPs over PAs in Indiana Up from last year, IAPA continues to devote multiple committees and individuals to addressing this issue. The Legislative & Advocacy Committee's House Bill 1346 last year sought to remove the collaborating physician to PA ratio, which IAPA has been told is seen as an impediment to hiring PAs by many hospital administrators. The Membership Committee seeks to continue establishing partnerships with Indiana hospital systems to strengthen their commitment to PA hiring practices. Also, the Public Relations & Communications Committee will continue to increase the exposure of the Physician Assistant profession to Indiana hospital systems. IAPA also plans to work closely with the IAPA Student Board to increase exposure of PA job openings to recent graduates, and the Board of Directors have invested in a new IAPA Career Center, check it out at the link above!
Authorizing Direct Payment to PAs
With the 2022 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services final rule, PAs joined the ranks of physicians, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists in having the ability to receive payments directly from Medicare. However, PAs ineligibility for direct payment from state medical plans and nearly all commercial insurance payers is an important disparity between PAs and other providers, particularly nurse practitioners (NPs). Most commercial payers require that payment be made to a PA’s employer, which can unintentionally limit PA employment opportunities with staffing companies and in certain practice arrangements, such as when hospitals contract with a group practice to provide services. In Indiana, PAs must have the same reimbursement flexibility enjoyed by other Indiana healthcare professionals, so we are not disadvantaged in the marketplace. That is why the Indiana Academy of PAs continues to fight hard to stop limiting statutory reimbursement language, and will continue to seek opportunities to introduce a reimbursement mandate that requires commercial third-party payers to reimburse for services provided by PAs.
Adjusting the Board Regulating PAs in Indiana
Holding steady from last year, creating a separate majority-PA board to regulate PAs, or add PAs and physicians who work with PAs to medical or healing arts boards continues to be an important priority for Indiana PAs. We are happy to inform all Indiana PAs that IAPA works closely with the Physician Assistant Committee and Indiana Medical Licensing Board of Indiana to evaluate options to ensure safe, equitable and accurate regulation of Indiana PAs. Eliminating the PA - Physician Requirement Substantially up from last year, Indiana PAs assume many advanced roles across the state and are frequently integrated in teams with physicians, fellow PAs and other medical providers. IAPA will continue to monitor upcoming legislation to ensure that the mandatory requirement for a collaborating agreement with a physician (MD or DO) does not serve as an impediment to PA employment in Indiana and allowing Indiana PAs to practice to their utmost of their training and expertise. Neutral: Changing Our Name to Physician Associate Continuing to be neutral on the issue, Indiana PAs understand that title change implementation is a complex undertaking that will take time to wholly implement at a national level outside of our state. Indiana PAs must continue to use “physician assistant” or “PA” as their official legal title in a professional capacity, particularly in clinical settings and with patients. Title change inside and outside of our state involves other national PA organizations (PAEA, NCCPA, and ARC-PA), Indiana PA programs, as well as state and federal governments, regulators, and employers. |
