Physician assistant compensation is nearly $100,000 on average across the U.S. amid a nationwide shortage of doctors that are needed to treat millions of newly insured Americans. A new state-by-state statistical profile of the profession from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants said the median PA salary was $95,000 for 2014, the most recent year such information was tallied for this year’s new profile. But the salaries are rising even faster in certain areas of the U.S. for physician assistants, known in the industry, according to the commission, which certifies physician assistants. PAs in California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Arizona and Alaska have a median salary of $105,000. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants said the median PA salary was $95,000 The six-figure PA salary contrasts to just a few years ago when they were making $87,000 in 2010 and $71,000 in 2001 , the commission said, citing statistics from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics. The commission’s profile didn’t include a historical look. “The demand for PAs continues to grow,” said Dawn Morton-Rias, a physician assistant and chief executive of the commission (NCCPA). “Not only because of the physician shortage and maldistribution, but also because in our nearly 50-year history, we have proven ourselves.” A physician assistant is nationally certified by the commission and must be licensed in the states where they practice. Most have a two-year master’s degree, often from a program that runs about two years and includes three years of healthcare training, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. They work in doctor’s offices, retail clinics and other locations and their work includes diagnosing illnesses, writing prescriptions and counseling patients on preventive care. Physician assistants and other allied health professionals like nurse practitioners are increasingly an integral part of value-based care models proliferating across the country like accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical homes that contract with insurers, Medicare and Medicaid programs. Major insurers like Aetna AET +0.15%, Anthem ANTM -0.79%, UnitedHealth Group UNH -0.23% and Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans are increasing their contracts with ACOs as insurers move away from fee-for-service medicine. PAs are also taking on a greater role in states that have expanded Medicaid coverage under the health law, Morton-Rias said. In many of these areas, PAs have been an important resource given more than 22% of them can speak to their patients in a language other than English, the commission’s profile showed. More than half of PAs in California are bilingual while nearly 40% of PAs in New Mexico and Texas speak a language other than English. “We are opening up access to millions of patients, including those non-English speaking and Medicaid patients who in the past were on the outside looking in to the healthcare system that many of us take for granted,” Morton-Rias said “Certified PAs are embracing and meeting the needs of the communities they serve.” Source
