Physician assistants seek new name and more independence amid state fights

Physician assistants are pushing to be called “physician associates” and to gain greater ability to practice independently in several states, a shift already adopted in Oregon, New Hampshire and Maine, The New York Times reported on Jan. 31, 2026. The American Academy of Physician Associates, which changed its own name in 2021, says the title better reflects the expanding role of P.A.s as their ranks have quadrupled since 2000 and many parts of the country face doctor shortages.

“If it’s ‘physician assistant,’ even the patient thinks, OK, if you’re just assisting, then when’s the real provider going to get here?” said Chantell Taylor of the A.A.P.A. The debate centers on supervision agreements that separate P.A. employment from a supervising physician’s legal responsibility.

Lawmakers in some states have loosened those rules: Florida raised the cap on how many P.A.s a physician can supervise, Pennsylvania removed a requirement for doctors to review all P.A. charts, and Arkansas allowed P.A.s to submit Medicaid claims directly. Many states have changed the term “supervising physician” to “collaborating physician,” though liability and some mandated oversight remain.

More than 90 percent of P.A.s work as employees of larger practices, but a growing minority run their own practices and still often must contract with a supervising doctor.

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