The Evolving Role of Medical Assistants in Primary Care Practice: Divergent and Concordant Perspectives from MAs and Family Physicians

Abstract

Medical assistants (MAs) are a flexible and low-cost resource for primary care practices and their roles are swiftly transforming. We surveyed MAs and family physicians in primary care practices in North Carolina to assess concordance in their perspectives about MA roles, training, and confidence in performing activities related to visit planning; direct patient care; documentation; patient education, coaching or counseling; quality improvement; population health and communication. For most activities, we did not find evidence of role confusion between MAs and physicians, physician resistance to delegate tasks to properly trained MAs, or MA reluctance to pursue training to take on new roles. Three areas emerged where the gap between the potential and actual implementation of MA role transformation could be narrowed—population health and panel management; patient education, coaching, and counseling; and scribing. Closing these gaps will become increasingly important as our health care system moves toward value-based models of care.

The Technical Assistant Model: Efficiency in Maternal Fetal Medicine

“…An obstetric sonographer, as well as one of the coauthors, designed a survey to send to sonographers who work closely with TAs. 1 A member of the administrative team collaborated with the physicians to obtain their input. 2 The sonographer survey was composed of four open-ended questions and four closed-ended questions while the practitioner survey consisted of three open-ended questions.…”

“…Medical assistants are generally found in primary care settings, and the position requires a certification. 1 Like TAs, medical assistants are used to decrease provider burnout, lower costs, and increase patient satisfaction. They aid in documentation, triaging, patient counseling, and identifying and contacting patients for preventative care.…”

“…They aid in documentation, triaging, patient counseling, and identifying and contacting patients for preventative care. 1 In some clinics, a medical assistant will aid in minor procedures and physical exams and perform phlebotomy. Their roles at each clinic can vary greatly depending on the clinic and physician the medical assistant is working with.…”

“…Their roles at each clinic can vary greatly depending on the clinic and physician the medical assistant is working with. 1 For a TA, prior knowledge of medical terminology or experience in a health care setting is beneficial, but a successful TA has effective professional communication, attention to detail, critical thinking skills, and possesses strong computer literacy. During training, the TA will be taught applicable medical terminology, patient health information collection, triaging, and specific obstetric charting procedures.…”

COVID-19 and the Health Workforce

“…Fraher et al (2020) described the evolving role of medical assistants (MAs) in primary care offices. MAs are a low cost and flexible workforce for primary care practices, and they are increasingly taking on new roles.…”