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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physician assistants

Data Report: 2018 Indiana Physician Assistant Licensure Survey
Provides demographic and practice characteristics of the Indiana physician assistant (PA) workforce as well as supply and distribution information, intended to improve the quality and accessibility to primary care. Features statistics including county-level PA geographic distribution with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Analise Dickinson, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Buprenorphine Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Physicians After CARA 2016
Investigates the differences in buprenorphine prescribing patterns among nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians in Medicaid following implementation of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) addressing opioid use disorder (OUD). Retail pharmacy claims from July 2017 to June 2018 were analyzed to identify prescriber type, number of patients, payer type, rural and urban differences, and Medicaid trends for FDA-approved buprenorphine drugs for the treatment of OUD.
Author(s): Rekha Varghese, Karin Johnson, Bo Feng, et al.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organizations: IMPAQ International, LLC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Utah's Physician Assistant Workforce, 2019: A Study on the Supply and Distribution of PAs in Utah
An overview of Utah's physician assistant (PA) workforce, based on results of a 2018 survey. Features statistics including the percentages of Utah PAs who have a rural background and who work in rural areas.
Author(s): Jerry Bounsanga
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Utah Health Workforce Information Center
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Burnout and Job and Career Satisfaction in the Physician Assistant Profession: A Review of the Literature
Discussion paper exploring factors contributing to burnout and job satisfaction among physician assistants (PAs), by examining 37 scholarly articles, 4 of which evaluate PAs in rural areas. Features a list of high-priority research areas and an appendix showing key findings from each of the 37 articles.
Author(s): Alison C. Essary, Kari S. Bernard, Bettie Coplan, et al.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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The Workforce Trends of Physician Assistants in Iowa (1995-2015)
Examines the growth trends and attrition of the physician assistance (PA) workforce in Iowa with a focus on primary or specialty care practice settings, rural or urban locations, and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Author(s): Thomas S. Gruca, Gregory C. Nelson, Linda Thiesen, David P. Asprey, Sean G. Young
Citation: PLoS One, 13(10)
Date: 10/2018
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Physician Alliance Well-Being Case Study: Avera Health
Highlights a healthcare system based in South Dakota that serves a primarily rural population. Focuses on their program LIGHT: Live, Improve, Grow, Heal and Treat, which seeks to prevent and address burnout for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Addressing the Nation's Primary Care Shortage: Advanced Practice Clinicians and Innovative Care Delivery Models
Highlights gaps in primary care access and ways to address primary care shortages through advanced practice clinicians and care delivery models. Provides some data on nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, and nurse practitioner scope of practice laws.
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: UnitedHealth Group
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Maine's Physician, Nurse Practitioner, and Physician Assistant Workforce in 2018
Presents a report on the workforce supply of physicians, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant workforce in Maine. Compares data to a 2014 report, as well as data from rural and urban counties.
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, Benjamin A. Stubbs, Arati Dahal
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Strategies for Expanding Primary Care Capacity in California
Addresses the need to improve the diversity, geographic distribution, and supply of primary care providers in California. Focuses on the education pipeline, recruitment and retention, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and using data to inform workforce strategies.
Author(s): Janet Coffman, Kris Himmerick
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Healthforce Center at UCSF
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What Makes Physician Assistant (PA) Training Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
Results of a study analyzing characteristics of PA programs producing high proportions of graduates who choose rural practice, using data collected from 173 programs from November 2015 through January 2016. Features statistics with breakdowns by rurally oriented and non-rurally oriented programs and those with high and low rural productivity.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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