FAQ
- PA Director on You Tube!
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Check this out. You probably will probably have to access it on your home computer as VA often blocks youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qdjuUMH9bQI&feature=youtube_ gdata_player - How to Pay your VAPAA Dues
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Q: Some folks have recently asked: with the new website, how do I renew my membership?
A: The answer is simple. There are TWO ways to join and pay dues or renew your dues.From our main website page (you don't even have to login to do this) click on the Store button on the top menu (it's at the far right).
On the next page you will see some highlighted text at the bottom of the box. Click on the one for Membership.
Scroll to the type of membership you believe you should be qualified to enroll or renew as and click on the blue bar at the bottom stating Add to Cart.
If you have any other purchases you would like to make from the store, you may also do these at this time. Also donations to our Legislative Fund, which pays for our lobbying efforts on your behalf, can be added to the cart at the same time. Remember, donations to the Legislative Fund allows us to keep your dues fully tax deductible where tax laws allow.
PLEASE remember you must use your HOME email, not a "va.gov" when registering for membership or renewal.
One all items are in your cart and you're ready to finish, just follow the prompts to SAFELY pay using a credit card.
If you prefer to send a check, again start at the home page and HOVER over the menu bar until Membership Information becomes RED, move your cursor down one box and click on the tab for Membership Application. Then, print out the page, fill it in offline and mail or fax to our office. If mailing, you must include a check or credit card info; if FAXing you must include your credit card information. Follow the instructions on the page and BE SURE TO FILL IN ALL THE BLANKS including facility somewhere on the page. Include your home email, as without it we will have a difficult time reaching you for questions.
Do NOT email your credit card info or any other personal info to us. Regular email is not always safe.
Thank you for keeping up your membership!
Joe Streff, Webmaster - Where can I find information about using MyPay for payroll deduction?
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Please contact our Executive Director for details at our main office in Iron Mountain Michigan. Email her at vapaa1@vapaa.org. Thank you
- Where can I find information about the PA Qualification Standards?
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You can connect directly our Practice Updates page on this website.
- Are PAs required to use up all their Annual Leave allowing 240 hours for next year?
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No. PAs are covered under Title 38 USC and as such have different rules. Actually we are allowed 685 hours of AL accrual per the Title 38 regulations are followed. If you have Acrobat Reader you can link to this document via the VA Intranet giving you the full text of the regulation. We can accrue up to 685 hours before we start to lose as a full time PA, or 240 hours if part time (though there are conversion factors if you converted to part time from a previous full time employment as a PA in VA Federal Service). (MP-5, Part II, Chapter 7, then see page 11 of the document.) [Anyone who has a link to an Internet version of these documents, please forward to our Webmaster via email. Thanks.]
- What is a Physician Assistant?
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The Physician Assistant (PA) is a skilled medical provider who is trained and qualified to provide health care in a variety of health care settings as well as medical and surgical specialty under the supervision of a licensed physician. The PA is permitted to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician and consult the supervising physician as necessary. As in the case of the supervising physician, PA's also consult specialty physicians. Also, PA’s may practice with delegated autonomy in sites apart from the supervising physician, with consultation readily available via: telephone, radio, or teleconferencing. They have enabling legislation allowing practice in every state, the District of Columbia, and other territories. All 50 states and the District of Columbia allow prescriptive authority, and PA's may prescribe controlled substances in nearly every state. (Ref: http://www.aapa.org/gandp/statelaw.html)
- Where can Physician Assistants work?
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Physician Assistants are utilized in various areas of health care. Initially the profession was instituted and trained to fill the need for Primary Care providers in underserved areas. Since then, however, need for physician extender capabilities, such as afforded by PAs, has been in virtually every major and minor area of medicine. After Primary Care, surgery is one of the largest areas of utilization of PAs. General and vascular surgery, cardiac and thoracic, urology, orthopedic, ophthalmology, ENT, transplant teams and other surgical areas have long utilized the skills of the well trained PA. Medicine subspecialties also use PAs such as nephrology, internal medicine, cardiology, and rheumatology also utilize PAs in many practice settings with enabling legislation in all 50 states and Washington DC. The VA was one of the first employers of PAs, is the largest federal employer of PAs and is the largest single employer of PAs in the US.
- What is a PA allowed to do?
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Physician Assistants are allowed to examine, diagnose and treat patients within the scope of their designated practice setting. They must have a Scope of Practice defining these duties, and it must be signed by both the PA and the Physician with whom the PA is working. The scope may not include duties that the supervising physician would not be able to perform, nor duties that the PA was not trained to do. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO] allow hospital medical staff to permit PA’s membership on the hospital staff provided they are credentialed with appropriate Bylaw wording, and have enabling state law. Otherwise, they must have an approved scope of practice. PA’s can have their care reimbursed by Medicare [at 85% MD levels] and by third party payers.
- Are PAs required to have Preceptors listed in PCMM?
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No. PAs work under a set of regulations that allow them, at the medical center's discretion, to carry a Primary Care Provider status and workload without a Preceptor being identified in PCMM. The PA still must have a Physician identified as the person from whom he receives guidance and this, in some states, is identified as a preceptor. It is not the same definition of preceptor that PCMM uses, however. PCMM rules are required only for resident physicians, not PAs. It is the same relationship that a Nurse Practitioner has with a physician in the same setting, only they refer to this as a collaborative relationship.
- Are PAs considered Licensed Independent Practitioners (LIPs)?
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Recently in our facility there is a movement afoot to make NP’s LIP’s. The administration has asked the Physician Assistants if any PA’s work as LIP’s or function as LIP’s within other VA’s. They also want to know if the VA is bound by state law when it comes to defining who is eligible to be an LIP? Any help with these questions would be appreciated.
The VA states in the November 14, 2008 edition of the VHA HANDBOOK 1100.19 1 CREDENTIALING AND PRIVILEGING
1. PURPOSE
This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Handbook provides VHA procedures regarding credentialing and privileging of all health care professionals who are permitted by law and the facility to practice independently. NOTE: This Handbook does not apply to residents, except those who function outside the scope of their training program; i.e., Admitting Officer of the Day.
2. SCOPE
a. All VHA health care professionals who are permitted by law and the facility to provide patient care services independently must be credentialed and privileged as defined in this Handbook. The requirements of The Joint Commission (TJC) standards and VHA policies have been used to define the processes for credentialing, privileging, reappraisal, re-privileging, and actions against clinical privileges, including denial, failure to renew, reduction, and revocation. This Handbook applies to all VHA licensed independent practitioners permitted by law and facility to provide direct patient care, including telemedicine, and who are appointed or utilized on a full-time, part-time, intermittent, consultant, attending, without compensation (WOC), on-station fee-basis, on-station contract, or on-station sharing agreement basis. The credentialing, but not privileging, requirements of this Handbook apply to all Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) and Physician Assistants (PA) even though these practitioners may not practice as licensed independent practitioners, as well as physicians, dentists, and others..
Additionally: The American Medical Associate confesses its concerns on the NP/Independent Practitioner subject in several articles:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/04/21/prl20421.htm
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/06/16/prl10616.htm
Then you can read the clear statement from the American Academy of Family Physicians that states in paragraph 2, “The nurse practitioner should not function as an independent health practitioner” The AAFP supports the concept of patient and third-party payment for services of nurse practitioners only where services are provided in an integrated practice arrangement.
AAFP Statements: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/policies/n/nursepractitioners.html
- I am no longer "qualified" to perform the AIMS examination. Any suggestions?
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There is not a question pertaining to the type of clinician who does the AIMS test (nor the GAF). The only question is, 'was it done?'. If ANY PA's are getting grief that their facility is being 'dinged' on the performance measures because they did either of these tests - have your Quality Manager send the OQP Office in VACO an email with patient name. They'll have the score changed and have EPRP clarify with the abstractor. As a matter of fact if any of you are getting any grief over ANY of the performance measures (because you are a PA - not because you're not doing them) let the PA Advisor know. There should be no bias from the performance measures stand point against PA's.
- What is the new NCCPA CME logging process like?
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I have received several questions regarding the new CME logging process with NCCPA that will start in the 2002 logging cycle. Beginning with the 2002-2004 CME logging cycle, the now separate CME logging and re-registration processes will be combined into a simpler certification maintenance process with a single fee. Full details including the timeline for implementation can be found on the NCCPA Web site at: http://www.nccpa.net/
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