Rent-a-MEDEX: An early PA prototype

In the 1970s, busy physicians knew little about the capabilities of a new member of the healthcare team-the physician associate/assistant (PA). Internal studies by the University of Utah and University of Washington educational programs demonstrated that the MEDEX/PA could increase access to care by providing quality, cost-effective care in rural primary care practices. Marketing this concept was essential, and in the early 1970s, the Utah program devised an innovative plan, partially funded through a grant from the federal Bureau of Health Resources Development, called Rent-a-MEDEX. Physicians in the Intermountain West were introduced to graduate MEDEX/PAs in order to gain firsthand experience about how these new clinicians could benefit a busy primary care practice.