Alberta's physician assistants look to reduce wait times

The Alberta government saysaphysician assistantspilot project will improve access to health care despite concerns from other front-line medical staff.

Some nurses are worriedabout the lack of regulation defining the PA role.

• Alberta health care to introduce physician assistants

"Physician assistants practice with a supervising physician and with different areas of practice in the system," saidHealth Minister Fred Horne.

He said they can deal with minor concerns to free up the time for busy doctors.

"It is a delegated role," he said.

The 10 positions were createdto serve areas of the province with long waiting lists for health-care services.

Horne announced more details about the two-year pilot project duringthe Canadian Association of Physician Assistants annual conference today in Calgary.

The physician assistants will perform routine duties such as taking patient histories and ordering lab tests.

$3.8-million pilot project

The $3.8-millionprogram began in late August withthe hiring of the first physician assistant in the town of Milk River in southern Alberta.

Our physician assistant has been a great help since he arrived here in Milk River about a month ago," saidDr. ElisabethLewke-Bogle, a family physician in Milk River.

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"He has been very well accepted in the community and has helped enhance patient care by taking on a number of routine cases that free me up to handle the more complex patients. With a physician assistant in place, it helps create greater access for local residents to receive timely care. It's a positive step.

The otherpositions will be located in Bassano, Calgary, Red Deer, Beaverlodge and Edmonton.

Horne says he wants to see the pilot project expand.

"It goes directly to waiting times for people and it allows the physician to provide access to a greater group of patients."

Horne says the program will not affect the province's recruitment of doctors and nurses.

A study done in Manitoba shows physician assistants working in orthopaedics saved their supervising surgeons 204 hours a year.