Massachusetts Gives PAs, Residents Practice Flexibility
Under orders from Gov. Charlie Baker, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Jan. 14 released several emergency orders to ease strain on the state's healthcare system, including allowing qualified physician assistants to practice independently. "The healthcare system has been facing a critical staffing shortage, which has contributed to the loss of approximately 700 medical/surgical and intensive care unit hospital beds since the beginning of 2021," the health department said. "Hospitals are also seeing many more patients than usual, the majority due to non-COVID-19-related reasons."