Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management 

In an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management, researchers found that an expanded PA hospitalist staffing model at a community hospital provided similar outcomes and a lower cost of care than a conventional one. Researchers did a retrospective study comparing two hospitalist groups at a 384-bed community hospital in Annapolis, Md. One group had an expanded PA staffing model, with three physicians and three PAs. The other group had a "conventional" staffing model, with nine physicians and two PAs.

Between January 2012 and June 2013, researchers examined the in-hospital mortality, cost of care, readmission, length of stay and consultant use. Between the two groups, there was no statistically significant difference for in-hospital mortality, readmission, length of stay, or consultant use. Cost of care was less in the expanded PA group. In conclusion, an expanding PA staff modeling can yield a similar level of care at a lower cost.

AAPA sees this as an important study that has broader implications for PA utilization in a hospital setting across all service lines.

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