Raising physician assistants' scope of practice to align with that of nurse practitioners does not worsen patient outcomes, according to a report from New Hampshire legislators.
In late July, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed House Bill 1222 into law, removing the collaboration agreement requirement between physicians and some PAs.
Under the new law, PAs with more than 8,000 post-graduate clinical practice hours can request a waiver from this requirement. Starting in 2027, PAs with more than 8,000 clinical hours can practice without a collaboration agreement entirely.
The law also established a committee to study PA scope of practice. The committee's report, published Nov. 1, found "no decline in safety or quality of care in states where collaboration agreements between physicians and PAs have been relaxed or eliminated."
Committee members included state Sen. Suzanne Prentiss and state Reps. Sherry Gould, Karen Calabro, Peter Schmidt and Erica Layon.
Additionally, the committee "did not receive any information indicating an increase in adverse outcomes for patients receiving care from PAs practicing without collaboration agreements. In fact, the committee received a 2023 study that shows there have been no upticks in malpractice cases against PAs in states where collaboration agreements are relaxed or eliminated."
The lawmakers called for legislation to change the profession's name from "physician assistant" to "physician associate." Lisa Gables, CEO of the American Association of Physician Associates, told Becker's in 2023 that this title change will take years to complete as it moves through state laws and hospital policies.