The AAP Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Mid-Career Neonatologist Group is searching for those who have published on the PA workforce within neonatology. More specifically, the Mid-Career Neonatologist Group of the AAP is developing a webinar series on the Neonatal Provider Workforce, and would like someone to represent the Physician Associates in neonatology.

Basic overview of the series:

• ~1-hour live webinar (can be as interactive or not as desired) with 5-10 minutes for Q&A at the end

o Typically use Webex for webinars, and the AAP will coordinate all technical needs and a brief touch-base/rehearsal beforehand to make sure the correct capabilities are activated in Webex

• Live webinar is open to all who register (AAP will be hosting the session and care host up to 1000, typically 50 to 250 for these types of webinars)

o With registration, we can ask registrants to answer questions to guide presentation or submit questions to possibly be addressed during presentation.

o Any response wished to be shared, but not enough time during the webinar, can always be shared via a later posting.

• Will be recorded for later viewing by AAP members-only, live session is free and open to all.
• CME will not be provided
• Will be heavily promoted via AAP websites, emails, and social media
• Unfortunately, no honorarium is able to be offered

Please reach out to our office if you are interested or know someone who may be a good fit for this and we will connect you. 

As we prepare for Maternal Health Awareness Day 2022 on Sunday, we are proud to join ACOG and other leading healthcare organizations in a Commitment to Action to eliminate preventable maternal mortality in the United States. This multidisciplinary effort will enhance readiness in prehospital, emergency department, primary care, and urgent care settings to identify and manage obstetric emergencies during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Learn more about our collaborative efforts: https://acog.org/news/news-articles/2022/01/commitment-to-action-eliminating-preventable-maternal-mortality

APAOG has been on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for some time. You can now find us on LinkedIn! This platform will allow APAOG to connect with members and non-members alike. We will be able to share information on all of our upcoming initiatives, events and activities for 2022. If you have an account, please consider following us and share with your colleagues and LinkedIn connections.  

As promised, APAOG has compiled a robust document specifying the training and capabilities of the OBGYN PA. This 29-page document includes the general competencies for all PAs as well as those specific to this specialty. We intend to demonstrate our aptitudes and value to this profession. This document will be available to the public if they wish to gather information on hiring a PA and in our quarterly journal this month.

While it is vital to PAs that they keep their versatility and ability to practice in any specialty, other less flexible professions and hospital systems may like to question precisely what PAs learn in school. Although there may be variation between programs, the medical content remains the same. Additionally, those dedicated to this specialty can further improve their competence with readings, CMEs, and work experience. I hope you will find this document valuable.

-Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C, APAOG President

The APAOG 2022 Conference Planning Committee is searching for individuals who are interested in presenting at the APAOG 2022 Virtual Conference, which is scheduled for April 29-30, 2022. Presenters are asked to submit abstracts/ summaries based on the conference theme "Practical Patient Care for OBGYN PAs" (topics include but not limited to: menopause, female pelvis, fertility awareness, breast). Abstracts/ summaries will be accepted until February 15, 2022. We estimate that all applicants will be notified of the status of their applications by February 28, 2022. The APAOG 2022 Conference Planning Committee will review all proposals. Please visit our webpage for more information.

Our members receive a message via email in the monthly e-newsletter from APAOG President, Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C. This month, we are sharing the video message shared with our members. APAOG has had a lot of new activities going on this past year and we have even more in store for 2022.

If you are interested in learning more, view the message here: https://vimeo.com/657993997/188866c05e

If you are interested in joining APAOG and want to receive these member benefits and more, click here!

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

CMS intends to propose a national “Birthing-Friendly” hospital designation on the Hospital Compare section of the CMS Care Compare website, and also encourages states to provide 12 months postpartum coverage to people with Medicaid and CHIP

As part of Vice President Kamala Harris’s Call to Action to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is taking steps to improve maternal health and support the delivery of equitable, high-quality care for pregnancy and postpartum care. CMS intends to propose a “Birthing-Friendly” designation to drive improvements in perinatal health outcomes and maternal health equity. The designation would initially identify hospitals that provide perinatal care, are participating in a maternity care quality improvement collaborative, and have implemented recommended patient safety practices.

In addition, CMS is encouraging states to take advantage of the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP’s) option to provide 12 months postpartum coverage to pregnant individuals who are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This follows the release of a report by HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) showing the dramatic impact if states extended Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months. If every state adopted an extension — as proposed in the Build Back Better Act — then the number of Americans getting coverage for a full year postpartum would roughly double, extending coverage for an estimated 720,000 in a given year.

Read more.

For more information, please see the materials below:

• HHS Press Release
• ASPE Report
• White House Fact Sheet
• Op-Ed by Administrator Brooks-LaSure
• CMS Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure
• State Health Official Letter

Johns Hopkins researchers would like to invite your organization to participate in a survey study which is trying to determine people’s thoughts and opinions towards virginity testing, also known as hymen testing. This study is polling both the general population and healthcare providers.    

Please click the link below to find the survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

Click here to complete!

Although you may not directly benefit from completing this survey, you may experience satisfaction from helping doctors and researchers gain knowledge about virginity testing. Your answers will help researchers learn more about people’s beliefs and feelings towards virginity testing, determine its prevalence in the United States, and study its effects on mental and physical health. Lastly, this will help doctors discuss virginity testing with patients in the future. Risks include psychological distress from answering questions related to your personal or medical history.         

Participation in the survey is completely voluntary and all questions in the survey are optional. All data will be anonymous and will be de-identified for analysis purposes. This survey has been approved by the Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board (IRB: 00281681). Your choice to participate in this survey or the answers you provide will not affect the care you receive at Johns Hopkins Hospital or at any other institution. Please answer each question to your best ability. 

PLEASE NOTE: Your completion of the survey or questionnaire will serve as your consent to participate in this research study, and certification that you are 18 years old or older.    

Sincerely,    

Dr. James Segars
Study Principal Investigator    
Professor and Director,    
Division of Reproductive Sciences & Women’s Health Research    
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics    
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine    
720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 624    
Baltimore, MD 21205    
Email: jsegars2@jhmi.edu    
Phone: 410-614-2000, Fax: 410-614-7060    
IRB Application Number: IRB00281681    

AAPA News Central

A Day in the Life of a PA in Outpatient Obstetrics and Gynecology

Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C

PA Melissa Rodriguez is Passionate About OBGYN and All Aspects of Women’s Health

December 6, 2021

By Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C

President of the Association of Physician Assistants in OB-GYN, APAOG, Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C, encourages PAs to consider specializing in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN). Here she describes her passion for obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s health, and what a day in her practice looks like.

Obstetrics has been my passion since I can remember. Caring for women during their pregnancies and bringing life to this world was the only career I ever considered seriously. My initial goal was to go to medical school and become an obstetrician and so my college track was pre-medicine. Then, while working as a medical assistant in urology, I met PA Elizabeth Rothstein. She was smart, well-rounded, practiced in different medical specialties, and had a breadth of knowledge. It was refreshing to see a competent and humble provider who connected so easily with patients of all backgrounds. It was a different breed of medical provider with pure compassion and versatility.

I immediately researched all things PA related, joined the AAPA, and began my transition. I remember being asked about my career goals before graduation from Hunter College (CUNY) and I was excited to share that I was going to be a PA and, one day, be president of the AAPA. My faculty advisor had no idea what a PA was, and I could feel the condescension. I vowed then to advocate for this profession full force so that everyone can see how fantastic these PA providers can be.

The day I received my acceptance letter to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rutgers University), I was ecstatic and called my mother first. I remember her voicing her congratulations and then sharing the news that my aunt had brain cancer. In that moment of shock, I was devastated but had a newfound resolution to become a PA and be trained as a generalist that allows me to be knowledgeable and transition into any specialty. Within three grueling and amazing years, I earned my master’s in science degree and began my first job as an OBGYN PA.

Read more.

AAPA | Two-Year Pilot Leads to New Testing Format

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) announced on December 1 that beginning in 2023, they will offer a new alternative to the traditional PANRE recertification exam: PANRE-LA, a take-at-home test which incorporates elements of longitudinal assessment. The announcement follows four years of research, discussion and a two-year pilot program that involved participation from 18,000 PAs (physician associates/physician assistants), according to NCCPA.

“AAPA’s Board of Directors remains committed to working with NCCPA on issues facing the profession and modernizing PA practice,” said AAPA President and Chair of the Board, Jennifer M. Orozco, MMS, PA-C, DFAAPA.