Consolidated Consultants Quarterly Newsletter Article

Physician Assistant Profession and the utilization as an Expert Witness

Written by Physician Assistant Expert Witness

Expert Witness No. 2267
Click here to view this Expert’s CV

Physician Assistant Expert Witness Definition
The Physician Assistant Expert Witness is a Board Certified and State Licensed PA who by experience or training is qualified to give an opinion on the standard of care provided by fellow physician assistants. Although formal training is not required, some PA expert witnesses have completed seminars conducted by and for legal nurse consultants. Frequently, PA expert witnesses are faculty or former faculty at physician assistant training programs. The majority of PA experts get into the practice of providing opinions on malpractice cases because they are asked, not because they set out to become experts.

Physician Assistant Practice Requirements
Physician Assistants are health care providers who are licensed in all fifty states to provide medical care under the general direction of a doctor of medicine or osteopathy. In order to become licensed, PA’s must graduate from a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistants (ARC-PA) and pass a national comprehensive board examination conducted by the National Commission on Certification Physician Assistants (NCCPA). In order to maintain the certification designation, the “C” in PA-C, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and receive a passing score on a national comprehensive board exam (similar to the initial certification exam) every six years.

Legal Scope of Practice
Although Physician Assistants, by definition and scope of practice, must provide medical care under the general supervision of physicians, they may practice autonomously and at remote distances from their supervising physician. Even so, physicians share in the clinical responsibility and liability of their supervised PA’s clinical decisions and actions.

While the role of PA and physician is similar, each may have a separate scope of practice, such as training, credential and personal experience. However, it may be quite appropriate for PA’s to comment on the standard of care of physicians depending upon the circumstance. The standard of care for the evaluation and treatment of medical illness may be exactly the same for a PA and a physician. For example, the evaluation and treatment of a sinus infection may be the same for a PA and a primary care physician, but may differ between the PA or primary physician and an otolaryngologist specialist.

Physicians are typically disallowed from providing testimony on the standard of care of physician assistants, but they may comment on their supervisory role and requirements. Most states now require PA Expert Witness testimony in malpractices cases where Physician Assistants are involved. It may be wise to choose a PA expert witness who has current practice experience in the medical specialty of the PA involved in the civil action. But this does not preclude a PA of any specialty to comment on medical care that is expected knowledge of all PA’s no matter what their area of employment or experience. 

PA Expert Ethical Guidelines
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the national professional association of PAs, has recognized the PA expert witness and has adopted ethical guidelines on the use of PAs as expert witnesses in malpractice cases.

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Reprinted with permission from Author 800-683-9847