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Is a physician assistant basically a doctor?

Although PA can diagnose and treat many of the same conditions as medical doctors, they are not the same. Unlike doctors, PAs do not have to obtain a medical doctorate (MD) qualification to practice.

They must have a master’s degree and complete a Physician Assistant program, which takes about three years and requires over 2,000 hours of clinical rotations. Finally, a PA must obtain a PA license to practice and partner with a supervising physician.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of ACA compliant major medical plans. Coverage and plan options vary and may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure. You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.