Physician Assistant (PA)

2025 Legislator & Physician Information Page

CURRENT 2025 LEGISLATION


Senate Bill 703 (Sub-A)


We are seeking to accomplish the following with SB-703 (Sub-A)

1)  Section 5-54-2 (5),  Amend the definition of “Collaboration” to include statutory references of “physician group practice”, “healthcare facility”, and “health maintenance organization” thereby making the definition consistent with other statutes.

2)  Section 5-54-2 (5),  Strike the word “and” and replace with “or” to clarify existing confusion that the degree of collaboration be determined by a physician and/or all of the entities listed in the existing definition.

3)  Section 5-54-2 (5), Replace “employer” with “affiliated with the practice”.  This change is needed to reconcile the statute with the current trend in medical practices where fewer and fewer are owned by physicians and therefore are employees, not employers. 

4)  Add a new section (5-54-29) that would prohibit restricted covenants in PA employment contracts.  This is the same protection provided to physicians and APRNs. Prohibiting restrictive covenants will help to ensure that, in the midst of the primary care provider shortage, PAs will not be forced to leave the state to change practice venues. 

5)  The bill also proposes changes to RIGL 16-91-3  “The School and Youth Concussion Act” and "The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act": 

    • Amend RIGL 16-91-3 (e) to add PAs and APRNs as professionals who may evaluate concussed athletes and authorize return to participation. 
        • According to a 2018 analysis of state youth concussion statutes, 47 states allow PAs and APRNs to provide evaluation and authorization to return to participation. Rhode Island, New York, and Arkansas are the only states that limit this service to physicians. Allowing Rhode Island PAs and APRNs will remove a barrier to timely care of student athletes. 
    • Amend  RIGL 16-91-1-3 (d)(3) "The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act", to authorize PAs to evaluate athletes who have reported symptoms or shown signs of potential cardiac conditions. 
        • Currently, only physicians and APRNs are authorized to provide an evaluation and clearance. In addition, “cardiologist” would be deleted from the list of providers who can evaluate and clear due to the fact that it is redundant. The act provides that “physicians” are authorized and in order to be certified as a cardiologist, one must be a “physician”. 

Common Myths and Misconceptions  About PAs


Misconception About Professional Identity

Myth: PAs are “physician’s assistants”


This terminology misconception undermines the professional standing of PAs. In reality, PAs are licensed medical providers who undergo rigorous training and play an essential role in healthcare delivery. They work with physicians as valued members of the medical team.  They are medical professionals in their own right, not merely assistants.  This is why the American Academy of Physician Assistants officially changed their name and the name of the profession to Physician Associates.  Additionally, there is no apostrophe "s" in the title.

Myths About Patient Perception and Care

Myth: PAs have limited autonomy and can’t make decisions


PAs are highly trained medical professionals who make independent clinical decisions every day. They diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and develop treatment plans with significant autonomy.  Many PAs perform complex procedures and manage complex patients with life threatening conditions in critical care settings without a physician present.

Myths About Practice Limitations

Myth: The physician has to be on-site for a PA to see patients


No state requires a physician to be on-site 100% of the time PAs are seeing patients. PAs can see patients in all settings without a physician present and are critical to enhancing access to care in rural and underserved areas.  Our RI Statute states that PAs need to have a physician available for consultation at all times but that means of communication can either be electronic, telephonic or in person. 

Myth: PAs cannot see new patients or perform consultations


This is completely false. Today, there are more than 115,500 certified PAs practicing medicine, performing consultations, and seeing new patients in every medical and surgical subspecialty from pediatric neurosurgery to oncology to primary care.

Myth: PAs cannot practice in specialties


PAs work across the full spectrum of medical specialties, not just in primary care.

Myths About Professional Value

Myth: PAs can’t prescribe medication


PAs are authorized to prescribe medication, diagnose conditions, order tests, and interpret results.


Evidence Supporting PA Safety and Quality

Multiple studies have demonstrated that PAs provide care that is comparable in safety and quality to that provided by physicians. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Medical Regulation found no statistically significant link between expanded PA scope of practice and patient safety issues, as measured by malpractice claims. In fact, this AAPA-backed research showed that expanded scope of practice was actually associated with a reduction in medical malpractice lawsuits for both PAs and physicians.

In emergency department settings, research has consistently shown PAs to be safe practitioners. A mixed methods study by Drennan et al. reported that emergency doctors considered PAs to be “appropriate, safe, and acceptable members of the medical team”. This study found no difference in the rate of patient returns for the same problem between those seen by PAs versus foundation doctors (1.33 vs 0.69, p = 0.40).



Citation and Study Summary List

2025 RIAPA Research Citations.pdf


                 

Download the RIAPA Infographic

2025 RIAPA Infographic.pdf


Smart phone and tablet users, please click the above link to best view the below infographic.




Highlighting Some of the Similarities and Differences - PAs and NPs


Both PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs) play an increasingly vital role as front-line healthcare providers. Although there are some significant differences in training and maintenance of certification requirements, the similarities between PAs and NPs far outweigh the differences. What is important for patients to know is that, regardless of whether they see a PA or an NP, they are being treated by a highly educated, well-trained healthcare provider who places the patient at the center of their care. The following highlights some of the key differences between PAs and NPs.




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