AAPA's Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management Launches First PA-Specific Award for Hospitals

CHLM is focused on working directly with hospitals and health systems to enhance team-based patient care and optimize PA practice. CHLM provides expertise, analytics, and industry best practices to help clients evaluate organizational alternatives designed to improve the effectiveness of their provider workforce.

"A PA-positive work environment is so much more than just a label. It can impact a PA's career growth and their ability to deliver care to their communities," said L. Gail Curtis, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, president and chair of AAPA's Board of Directors. "This award program, which is the first of its kind, gives AAPA an opportunity to uniquely acknowledge employers for their commitment to fostering PA-positive environments and, ultimately, the care patients receive."

CHLM partnered with HealthStream, a leading provider of workforce, patient experience, and provider solutions for the healthcare industry, to gain an understanding of what PAs value in their place of employment. Based on the findings, criteria for the Employer of Excellence Awards will focus on five key drivers including:

• Facilitating a positive and supportive PA work environment.
• Creating processes for effective conflict management.
• Providing opportunities for PAs to provide meaningful input that leads to positive organizational change.
• Informing PAs of organizational activity and decisions through communications.
• Involving PAs in leadership efforts to improve the quality of patient care.

"These awards will recognize hospitals that demonstrate that healthcare is a team-based endeavor and that PAs are essential to those teams," said Jennifer Broderick, managing director of CHLM. "We hope the awards inspire others to follow suit and adopt similar practices."

The Employer of Excellence Awards will honor hospitals that are committed to empowering PAs, promoting mutual respect and effective communication and collaboration among providers, and facilitating professional development. Hospitals that are recognized will be showcased as top places to work for PAs, which will enhance recruitment of highly qualified PAs, increase retention rates, and showcase the awardees as models in the healthcare industry.

Any hospital in the United States that employs PAs is eligible to apply for the awards. The online application opens today, Oct. 2, and must be submitted by Jan. 31, 2018. The awards will be presented at AAPA's Annual Conference in New Orleans, May 19-23, 2018.

For more information and to apply online visit CHLM.org/eoe.

About the American Academy of PAs
AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. Founded in 1968, AAPA represents a profession of more than 115,500 PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. Visit www.aapa.org to learn more.

About AAPA's Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management (CHLM)
CHLM is focused on working directly with hospitals and health systems to maximize team based utilization and optimize PA practice settings. CHLM provides expertise, analytics, and industry best practices to help their clients evaluate organizational alternatives designed to improve the effectiveness of their provider workforce. For more information visit http://www.chlm.org/.

SOURCE American Academy of PAs

Related Links

http://www.aapa.org