The American College of Radiology (ACR) has sent a letter to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), informing the agency of its concerns regarding changes to physician supervision requirements for physician assistants (PAs).
CMS last year changed the PA supervision requirements in its Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) and Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). With HOPPS, CMS changed the rule that required PAs working in hospitals and critical access hospitals to be directly supervised by physicians to one only requiring general supervision. Rules were similarly changed for the MPFS.
The ACR noted that while it recognized the role of PAs and other nonphysician providers in providing healthcare to patients, they believe that these providers are not interchangeable with radiologists and other physicians. The organization noted the years of education and clinical training that physicians must complete, which are far more than the requirements for PAs.
The ACR recommended that in the interest of patient safety, PAs and other nonphysician providers should continue to work alongside doctors under physician-led teams.
