Modernizing PA Practice Laws to Match the Realities and Needs Of Healthcare Delivery: Dr. Jennifer Kolb, Chief Medical Officer of the American Academy of Physician Associates

"We have an untapped army of 200,000 PAs that really could step up and drive some change in the healthcare system if we weren’t restricted,” says Dr. Jennifer Kolb, capturing her motivation for pushing to update practice regulations for physician associates that date back more than 50 years. 

As Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs at the American Academy of Physician Associates, Dr. Kolb has been in the middle of the fight at the state and federal level to grant PAs more independence from physicians, full billing rights, and the increased ability to practice across state lines, among other changes. 

In this pertinent conversation with Raise the Line host Lindsey Smith, Dr. Kolb explains how these updates could help close huge gaps in access to healthcare, better manage the fight against chronic diseases and improve patient outcomes.  

Dr. Kolb also addresses: 

• Why the name shift from "assistant" to "associate" took her years to fully appreciate;
• How a 10-year gap in life expectancy across Chicago zip codes shapes her view of health equity;
• Why PA’s shouldn’t wait for permission to start making change in their communities.

Mentioned in this episode:
American Academy of Physician Associates

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