Columbia, Maryland – MedStar Emergency Physicians (MEP) has been selected as a top employer by the group that represents the nation’s 131-thousand physician assistants (PAs). The American Academy of Physician Assistant’s Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management (CHLM) has announced the winners of the 2019-2020 Employer of Excellence Awards which are designed to showcase organizations that have implemented practices that create a positive work environment for PAs and encourage collaboration among provider teams.
The program is the first and only PA-specific award program available to organizations.
“MedStar Emergency Physicians has fostered a professional environment where physicians and physician assistants work side by side to create synergies around quality patient care and experience,” says Chris Richter, MD, FACEP, chief of Emergency Medicine for MedStar Emergency Physicians. “Our PAs are highly valued members of our teams and enhance the physician’s skill set with relevant experience, depth of knowledge, and exceptional procedural and diagnostic training. This kind of collaboration is the future of emergency medicine and we are proud to have the best physician assistants in the field.”
MedStar Emergency Physicians represents the majority of emergency medicine clinicians within MedStar Health, the largest health system in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., region. MEP is made up of seven top-tier emergency departments in the mid-Atlantic region and includes those at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, MedStar Harbor Hospital, MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, and MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center.
To determine the criteria for recognition, CHLM rated organizations on five key drivers identified by PAs as important components in their workplace. Based on the survey findings, criteria for the Employer of Excellence Awards focuses on the following:
- Establishing a positive and supportive PA work environment.
- Providing opportunities for PAs to provide meaningful input that leads to positive organizational change.
- Keeping PAs informed about organizational activity and decisions.
- Involving PAs in leadership efforts to improve the quality of patient care.
- Creating processes for effective conflict management.
“We are so pleased to recognize the amazing accomplishments of this year’s Employer of Excellence winners. Their progressive work to support PAs should serve as an inspiration and model for all PA employers,” said Jennifer Broderick, managing director of CHLM. “Recognizing the value that PAs bring to both their employers and their patients is the goal of this award and we were so impressed with all this year’s winners.”
The MEP team is comprised of 160 board-certified emergency physicians and 96 physician assistants. Together, our physicians and PAs care for more than 400,000 patients each year in the Baltimore and Washington D.C., regions.
Recipients of this year’s award by the American Academy of Physician Assistant’s Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management will retain their designation as an Employer of Excellence for two years, and then must re-apply to maintain the designation.