Articles related to SCOPE OF PRACTICE

A 553-respondent UK survey of cardiology resident doctors found that nearly one-third reported witnessing physician assistants performing procedures outside defined scope of practice, with earlier-stage trainees reporting the most negative impact on training opportunities.

The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act (H.R. 3164/S. 2426), which would authorize Medicare reimbursement for pharmacist-provided testing and treatment of flu, strep, RSV, and COVID-19 in states that already permit those services, cleared the House Committee on Ways and Means on May 21 with more than 110 congressional co-sponsors and support from over 170 organizations.

Maine enacted LD 2088 on April 6, 2026, becoming the first state to achieve all three AAPA modernization priorities: optimal PA practice, PA Licensure Compact adoption, and the physician associate title change.

“Prior authorization began as a reasonable mechanism for controlling costs, but over the decades, I have been practicing it has ballooned into a massive administrative burden that far too often leads to care delays and unnecessary agony and harm.” – René Bravo, MD, President of the California Medical Association (CMA)

Patient history and self-perception are valuable factors, but should never confirm a diagnosis and must be weighed against objective findings.