England’s National Health Service (NHS), the world’s largest health organisation, plans to partner with leading US health providers and recruit 200 American Physician Assistants (PAs) to work in England on 1 or 2 year placements. Dr Nick Jenkins, an Emergency Medicine specialist (Attending), has been looking at the role of PAs within the NHS as part […]

The Behavioral Health Section of the N.C. Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) has announced that “Incident to” billing by Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) for patients whose primary diagnosis is behavioral health may now be billed through a primary care office as of November 30. Providers whose claims were previously denied can now […]

NCAPA is considering offering hands-on, clinical skills workshops at the Eugene A. Stead Center for Physician Assistants, in Durham, NC.  Please take the brief survey below to let us know what topics would be most useful to you.  We are also considering offering professional development seminars on non-clinical topics such as contract negotiation, and networking […]

by Karen J. Hills MS, PA-C I love PA Week. There is such a sense of excitement and pride as the profession acknowledges the past, celebrates the present, and looks to our future. My first week in physician assistant (PA) education culminated in a Duke University PA Day celebration. I still remember these festivities 13 years […]

Around 300 PAs and PA students gathered at the “Today” show plaza in New York City on Oct. 7 for the fourth annual PAs on the Plaza event.  Read the full story here.

News from PA Professional At a time when quality medical providers are needed in every American community, the PA profession is growing faster than ever before.  The 100,000-plus nationally certified and licensed PAs in the U.S. are providing just what a thriving healthcare system demands – qualified healthcare professionals offering quality patient care to the […]

On October 6, 1967, the first Physician Assistants (PAs) graduated from Duke University. The first PAs originally served as corpsmen and medics during the Vietnam War.  During their military tours of duty, they received significant medical training.  Once their military obligations were completed, they were unable to utilize their skill sets in the civilian sector. […]

PAs and PA students share why they love being a PA, and medical experts talk about why PAs matter. – See more here. 

An interesting article in the New York Times.  Duke students in the photo!

PAs are nearly everywhere you go for healthcare.  Read the whole story in the US News & World Report.

General Membership Meeting As usual, NCAPA will hold its Annual General Membership Meeting in conjunction with the NCAPA Summer Conference in Myrtle Beach. The meeting is from 8:00-8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 18, in the Kensington Ballroom of the Embassy Suites Hotel at the Kingston Plantation. NCAPA is sending you written status reports in advance […]

US Court Rulings Create New Uncertainty Over Obamacare.  Read full story from Reuters  

Read more under “Policy and Prose” at http://cqrcengage.com/ncapa/.

Demand for physician assistants and nurse practitioners rose by more than 300 percent in the last three years, according to national healthcare search firm Merritt Hawkins. – Read the full story here.

Several national clinical guidelines have changed in the past year concerning Adult Immunizations, Cholesterol Guidelines and Cardiovascular Risk, Diabetes, and High Blook Pressure.  Read the updates provided by NC Health Smart here.  

Watch this great video on the history of PAs and NCAPA from our own Bill Vaassen!

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a rule on May 7 that provides regulatory relief for PAs and physicians who deliver care in rural communities. This advances a federal initiative to remove burdensome and unnecessary regulations. The final rule eliminates a requirement for a physician to be physically on site once every two […]

The polls closed on April 30th and the votes are official – NCAPA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that our own Jeffrey Katz has been elected as President-Elect of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA).  Jeff has contributed to NCAPA and AAPA in numerous leadership positions over the years and we know he will be an excellent […]

Twenty-nine students, representing five PA programs in the state, competed on four randomly selected inter-collegiate teams in the 2014 Student Medical Challenge Bowl.  The event was held on Saturday, April 26th.  The sun was shining, the pizza was hot, and plenty of chocolate and sodas to keep everyone going.  Everyone was geared up to have […]

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created enormous change in the way patients can purchase health care insurance. The current enrollment period ends March 31, 2014, and many individuals may need help in understanding the enrollment process. In response, the PA section of the North Carolina Medical Association and the North Carolina Academy of Physician […]

The NCAPA Nominating Committee is soliciting candidates for open positions on the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee in 2015. The following positions for elected offices are open for nominees: President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Director-At-Large (two positions), and Nominating Committee Member. All terms begin January 1, 2015. Nominees for officer positions (President-Elect, Vice President, and […]

Results are in from this fall’s election for NCAPA Board of Directors’ positions. Congratulations to those chosen to serve! Marc Katz, PA-C, will serve as President-Elect. His term is January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014. Paul Hendrix, MHS, PA-C, was re-elected as Treasurer for the term January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2015. Three […]

Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed October 6-12 as Physician Assistant Week in North Carolina. North Carolina is considered the birthplace of the Physician Assistant profession. Dr. Eugene A. Stead, Jr. developed the initial curriculum for Duke’s PA program based on his knowledge of the fast-track training of doctors during World War II.  In 1965, Duke University Medical Center […]

L. Gail Curtis, MPAS, PA-C, is the recipient of the 2013 PA of the Year award from the North Carolina Academy of Physician Associates. Curtis was announced as the award winner at the NCAPA’s Summer Conference on August 18 in Myrtle Beach, SC. More than 700 conference attendees were present for the award ceremony, which […]

NCTracks announced recently that paper enrollment and recredentialing applications, as well as change request forms submitted on paper, are no longer being accepted or processed. Provider enrollment, recredentialing, and change requests are now accomplished online through the Status and Management button on the secure Provider Portal. (Access to the secure Provider Portal requires an NCID.) […]

2013-07-15 by Sandy Harding, AAPA senior director of federal advocacy Representing a major shift in policy, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published guidelines for the accreditation of opioid treatment programs (OTPS) that allow PAs to assess, diagnose and admit patients with opioid addiction into opioid treatment programs. AAPA President Lawrence Herman, PA-C, MPA, lauded […]

Keynote speaker for the 2013 NCAPA Summer Conference is Fred Brason II, President/CEO of Project Lazarus, a community-based opioid overdose prevention program. Brason received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader Award in 2012 for his work with Project Lazarus. Brason will be speaking at the 37th annual NCAPA Summer Conference on Monday, August 19. This […]

The Piedmont Association of Physician Assistants will be offering its annual Free CME Seminar on Saturday, September 21, at the Forsyth Medical Center Conference Center in Winston-Salem, NC. This seminar provides 6 hours of approved AAPA Category I CME at no cost to participants. The conference is open to all Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners, […]

First Payments Made. NCTracks made its first electronic funds transfers to providers today, totaling $137 million. The next checkwrite date is July 17, according to the checkwrite schedule. Reconciling Your Payments. A Fact Sheet is available on the NCTracks Provider Portal that explains some of the key features of the new Remittance Advice (RA). An EOB to HIPAA Code Crosswalk is […]

NCAPA is pleased to announce the results of the election for NCAPA representatives to the AAPA House of Delegates. The following members will serve as Delegates and Alternates for a term of July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015. Delegates are: Alisha DeTroye, PA-C, Paul Hendrix, PA-C, Marc Katz, PA-C, Suzanne Reich, PA-C, Samantha Rogers, […]

The nomination period for the NCAPA “PA of the Year” award is being extended to Thursday, June 6. NCAPA members are encouraged submit nominations via the online form as soon as possible. To be eligible for the PA of the Year award, an individual must be a Fellow Member of NCAPA in good standing for a minimum […]