Increase In Demand On Health Care Services Creating Provider Shortage Despite Flood Of Physician Assistants
“If we continue along our current path, more and more Californians will need to visit the emergency room for conditions like asthma, ear infections or flu because they lack a primary care provider,” said Janet Coffman, one of four authors of a new UCSF report on providers.
Sacramento Bee:
California Sees Growth Among Physician Assistants But Still Faces Primary Care Shortage
The number of physician assistants in California jumped by 22 percent between 2012 and 2017, but despite the healthy growth in clinicians, research shows the state remains on track to experience a shortfall in primary-care providers in 2025. ...Physician assistants are certified to provide basic medical care, and they can work autonomously in primary care or specialties as long as a physician is available when needed. (Anderson, 5/25)