MAPA Action Alert: Please Contact the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing TODAY to Urge Swift Passage of S.740: Removing Unnecessary Barriers to Practice for PAs!

MAPA’s top legislative priority this session, S.740, An Act relative to removing barriers of care to physician assistants, remains before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (HCF) and has a deadline coming up quickly on March 30th, by which the Committee has to take action on the bill. We thank you for those that have sent emails before. We hope that you will consider sending out a directed email once again.

As you know, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baker Administration issued a temporary Executive Order allowing PAs to practice without filing a supervising physician with the Commonwealth. This change allowed for greater flexibility for PAs, enabling PAs to be deployed more easily to areas of need, and helped fill some of the urgent staffing shortages that continue to befall the state. It also proved that removing the filing requirement for PAs improved patient care, allowed PAs to better practice at the top of their license, and resulted in no negative consequences. The expiration of the Executive Order removed PA flexibility and in many instances resulted in longer wait times and decreased access to care. In light of enduring staff shortages and decreased access, Governor Baker issued a new Emergency Order in January 2022, which went even further than the original, enabling PAs to practice without filing a supervising physician, even at the practice level.  It is clear that the Baker Administration realized that this flexibility for the PA profession had been critical to increased access and that it was time to do more.
 

S.740 would enshrine this change, permanently modernizing the Mass. General Laws (MGL) to no longer require a registered PA in the Commonwealth to have a supervising physician.
 

We Need Your Help!
We want to ensure that the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing hears from supporters of the bill and reports the legislation favorably out of committee as soon as possible AHEAD of the MARCH 30th DEADLINE.

 
Current Action Steps: 

We are asking you to Reach out TODAY to the Health Care Financing Committee:
 

• Emails and Phone Calls ensure that Committee Chairs understand constituents’ support for this bill and encourage them to report favorably on the legislation.
• See below for an email template you can use.
• Please send your email directly to: John.Lawn@mahouse.gov; Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov
• Please copy the following Committee staff members:  Timothy.ONeill@mahouse.gov; David.Swanson@masenate.gov

THANK YOU for your support of MAPA and your profession!

 
EMAIL TEMPLATE
 

Re: Requesting a Favorable Report of S.740, An Act relative to removing barriers of care to physician assistants
 

Dear Chairwoman Friedman, Chairman Lawn, and Members of the Committee:
 

My name is [Full Name], and I live at [Address]. I am writing on behalf of the Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants (MAPA) to request that you report favorably S.740, An Act relative to removing barriers of care to physician assistants, filed by Sen. President Emerita Harriette Chandler  (D-Worcester) and Representative Christine Barber (D-Somerville).
 

There are over 4,000 Physician Assistants (PAs) serving across the Commonwealth, in every medical specialty and setting - diagnosing illnesses, developing and managing treatment plans, prescribing medications, and in MA, often serving as an individual’s primary care provider. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baker Administration issued a temporary Executive Order allowing for PAs to practice without filing a new supervising physician with the Commonwealth. This change allowed for greater flexibility for PAs, enabling PAs to be deployed more easily to areas of need. It also proved that removing the requirement that PAs file a supervising physician with the Commonwealth improved patient care, allowed PAs to better practice at the top of their license, and resulted in no negative consequences. The expiration of the Executive Order removed PA flexibility and in many instances resulted in longer wait times and decreased access to care. In light of enduring staff shortages and access issues, Gov. Baker reinstated the expansions with a new Emergency Order in January 2022, indicating the continued need for expanded physician assistant practice.
 

S.740 would permanently amend the Mass. General Laws (MGL) to remove the requirement that a registered PA in the Commonwealth file a supervising physician with the state. S.740 would ensure that PAs are able to practice at the top of their license, and that there are no outdated and artificial barriers to their role as qualified healthcare providers in the Commonwealth. While any institution could still require a physician assistant to identify a supervising physician, this bill would remove the overarching requirement that has created unnecessary and burdensome paperwork requirements that have slowed access to care for patients and flexibility for PAs.
 

We urge the Committee to issue a prompt favorable report of S7.40, and by doing so, continue to empower PAs to improve the quality of treatment in the Commonwealth.
 
Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to working together to achieve more equitable health outcomes in Massachusetts. Physician assistants are vital resources to many Commonwealth residents. If you have any questions, please reach out to me via email at [EMAIL] or at [Phone Number].
 

Sincerely,
 

 /s/