Nurse practitioner and physician's assistant clinics in rural California. Part I: issues

The primary health care needs of at least 26 rural California communities are being served by nurse practitioners (NP's) or physician's assistants (PA's). All of these have physician supervision and support. NP's and PA's have proved to be acceptable and effective. With 230 rural areas in California identified as having unmet health care needs, this type of service is likely to increase and should be supported.NP/PA clinics serve total populations or concentrate on Indians, Chicanos or the poor. Many barriers have been overcome, especially over the past four years, to allow these clinics to flourish and increase in number. The availability of nurse practitioners and physician's assistants has increased due to support to schools and to school policies. Clinic funding has greatly improved; federal funds for general rural clinics, Indians, migrants, family planning and maternalchild health have been greatly supplemented by California state funds. Beginning in 1978, rural NP and PA services can be reimbursed by Medicare and Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program).Since 1975 state laws have defined PA and NP roles broadly, and these roles are more precisely defined at the local level. Although nurse practitioners and physician's assistants generally cannot prescribe or dispense drugs (a major problem in many clinics), demonstration legislation allows special pilot projects to do both. As remaining funding and legal problems are corrected, NP's and PA's will serve an even greater role in rural areas.