Optimal Team Practice (OTP)

What is Optimal Team Practice?

Optimal Team Practice, or OTP for short, is a policy of the American Academy of PAs that endorses PAs, physicians, and other healthcare workers working together to provide high quality care with the burdens of unnecessary administrative constraints.

The specifics of OTP include:

  • The elimination of a specific relationship between a PA and any other healthcare provider to allow a PA to practice to the fullest extent of their training, education and experience
  • The creation of a separate majority PA board to regulate PAs, or add PAs and physicians who work with PAs to existing medical boards
  • The authorization for PAs to be directly reimbursed by all public and private payers

For more information from the American Academy of PAs on OTP, you can visit this page.

How is ConnAPA implementing OTP?

ConnAPA members took part in the AAPA House of Delegates meeting that implemented the policy. Even before it was official AAPA policy, ConnAPA had been working to remove administrative burdens for PAs in Connecticut. As a result of this national initiative, ConnAPA continues to work towards elimination of unnecessary barriers to care for Connecticut patients.

The process of legislative change is slow and meticulous, but the Legislative Committee is committed to ensuring that PAs have the ability to provide high quality care to our patients, improving access to care, and allowing PAs to be competitive in the employment market.