What is State Senator Rachel May thankful for?
Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, State Senator Rachel May is celebrating as her bill to modify physician assistant practice standards has been signed by Governor Kathy Hochul.
Under the law, physicians can now supervise up to six physician assistants in outpatient and private practices. Previously, the maximum number of physician assistants they could supervise was four. This change is expected to lead to faster access to care and reduced wait times.
“Patients in my Senate District often face unacceptably long wait times for healthcare. Waiting for care can be frustrating and even life-threatening when someone is sick. This new law prioritizes patient-centered care by increasing the number of physician assistants in outpatient offices and expanding the types of care they can provide in consultation with their partner physicians. With these changes, we aim to ensure that patients needing treatment receive quality care and relief without long delays. Thank you to Assemblymember Amy Paulin for her hard work in moving this bill through the Assembly and Governor Hochul for her strong commitment to quality and timely healthcare across New York,” said Senator Rachel May.
Additionally, physician assistants can authorize registered nurses to provide non-patient-specific healthcare such as ordering nurses to administer flu shots to targeted groups like college students. Physician assistants can also write inpatient orders for medical equipment. To ensure accuracy in medical documentation, the doctor’s name will now be replaced with the prescriber’s name on prescription records.
“During the pandemic, under the Governor’s executive orders, PAs were given greater latitude to treat patients, taking full advantage of their extensive training and experience,” said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. “Patients, hospitals and clinics throughout New York benefitted from the increased access to care during that time. Many New Yorkers still face barriers to health care which largely stem from a shortage of health care professionals. By modernizing practice guidelines for PAs, this law will increase the number of providers available to treat patients, expanding access to quality care across the State. I thank Governor Hochul and State Senator May for taking these steps to give more New Yorkers access to high quality healthcare.”
These changes are expected to benefit New Yorkers by enhancing the flexibility of healthcare delivery, especially in underserved areas.
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