PA faculty and students attend White Coats on Call
News
SUMMARY: On Monday, February 6th, nine graduate students and two faculty members from the physician assistant (PA) program attended "White Coats on Call", the grassroots lobbying effort held annually by the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and the Virginia Academy of Physician Assistants.
On Monday, February 6th, nine graduate students and two faculty members from the physician assistant (PA) program attended "White Coats on Call" in the state capital of Richmond, VA. "White Coats on Call" is the grassroots lobbying effort held annually by the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and the Virginia Academy of Physician Assistants. Physicians, PAs, and students come together during the General Assembly to inform their senators and delegates about the obstacles and challenges facing the practice of medicine in Virginia. It is a wonderful opportunity for PA students to observe the legislative process in action and to be involved with civic engagement. At the conclusion of the day, the students and faculty had the opportunity to attend a Senate session and to be introduced in the gallery by Senator Emmet Hanger of the 24th district.
This year, specific topics of focus included:
- Opioid misuse. In 2014 the leading cause of accidental death in Virginia was opioid overdose. The State Health Commissioner declared it a public health emergency in November 2016. As medical providers, PAs are concerned with the crisis facing Virginia and are uniquely qualified to help with the opioid problem. The Board of Medicine is currently developing regulations on opioid and buprenorphine prescribing, which are evidence based and enforceable by the Board. MSV supports legislation that endorses the Board’s development of these regulations
- PMP Pilot. The Prescription Monitoring Program is a useful tool for finding patients who are shopping for opioid prescriptions. The challenge for prescribers is incorporating the PMP into their daily work flow. Technology exists that would embed the PMP into a provider’s electronic medical record, providing real time access to the program. MSV supports a budget amendment to create a pilot demonstration program utilizing this technology
- SB1062 and HB1910 each amend Virginia Code §54.1-2400.1 to include physician assistants within the definition of the term “mental health service provider”. PAs are qualified and educated to provide a full spectrum of mental health care including conducting patient histories and examinations and performing psychiatric evaluations and assessments
For more information, please visit the Medical Society of Virginia website: www.msv.org
