In the March Medicaid Bulletin issued this week, DMA again announced that physician assistants are eligible to enroll directly as Medicaid providers.  The article confusingly states that PAs “may be enrolled effective April 1.”  It is not clear if April is the new deadline that DMA has set for the submission of enrollment applications.

For months now, the North Carolina Medical Society, with the support of the NC Academy of Physicians Assistants and the NC Medical Group Mangers, has advised PAs and their practices to hold their Medicaid applications.  (See NCMS’s previous articles on this topic from October and November.)  

Because DMA has done little to clarify its authority to require enrollment, our position remains the same.  Of course, this is ultimately a decision best left to the practice, but in our view, the safest course of action for PAs and practices is to continue to hold their application.

We call on DMA to bring forward its timeline for completing the administrative rulemaking process, clear application instructions for PAs and practices, the expected compensation rate for these professionals, billing guidelines, and future opportunities for stakeholder input.