Comparing physicians and PAs as solo providers in a rural ED: A pilot study

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Workforce Studies

Background:

• Rural emergency departments (EDs) face unique staffing challenges.
• Assessing the efficacy of physician assistants (PAs) as solo providers is crucial for optimizing rural healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of physician assistants (PAs) functioning as independent providers in rural emergency departments (EDs).
• To compare key performance indicators and patient outcomes between physicians and PAs in a rural critical access hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of nearly 26,000 patient encounters was conducted.
• Emergency department metrics and patient characteristics were compared between physician and PA providers.
• Data were collected from a critical access hospital located in rural Arizona.

Main Results:

• No clinically meaningful differences were observed in emergency department metrics between physicians and PAs.
• Transfer rates, 72-hour return rates, and mortality rates were similar across provider types.
• Analysis included patient encounters, provider type, and key clinical outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Appropriately trained and experienced physician assistants (PAs) can effectively manage patient care in rural ED settings.
• The study suggests that PAs meet established performance metrics for emergency care in rural environments.
• Findings support the integration of PAs as solo providers to address rural healthcare needs.