DALLASWhen hiring a physician extender, be sure to spell out all responsibilities in the contract, Dr. Raymond Blackburn said at the annual meeting of the National Medical Association.
"You must delineate in their contract every little detail that you want them to do so that when any dispute comes up it's there," said Dr. Blackburn, a Dallas dermatologist who employs two physician assistants in his office.
A good contract should include a listing of all the duties expected of the physician extender, from performing history and physicals to returning patient calls and handling refills, he said.
Furthermore, consider specifying the physician extender's work hours ahead of time, Dr. Blackburn recommended. Extenders need to know if they will be responsible for making after-hours patient calls, working weekends, and staying until the last patient has been seen each day. "I find that's very important because that's not going to be at the same time everyday," he said.
Benefits should also be detailed in the contract. For example, physicians should outline what they will cover in terms of health insurance, paid holidays, vacations, continuing education, sick days, professional-organization dues, medical liability coverage, and retirement.
The average starting salary for a physician assistant (PA) across all medical specialties is about $65,000 a year in the United States, Dr. Blackburn said. And a PA with 6 years of experience averages about $70,000, he said.
Experienced dermatology PAs can command $87,000 a year plus benefits, Dr. Blackburn said, adding that a PA in a busy dermatology practice can bring in gross revenues between $600,000 and $700,000 a year.