Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants (MAPA)

01/23/2026

Yesterday, MAPA met with Marjorie Decker alongside some PA community constituents at her Office Hours. We discussed healthcare workforce issues, the Rural Health Transformation Fund, and improving primary care access.

01/23/2026

Calling all Mass PAs!!!

On Tuesday, April 7, MAPA will once again bring the voice of Physician Associates directly to the Massachusetts State House and we hope you’ll join us.

Lobby Day is our opportunity to meet face-to-face with legislators, share stories from the front lines of patient care, and advocate for policies that expand access, strengthen the workforce, and modernize PA practice in the Commonwealth.

This year, MAPA is advocating for three critical pieces of legislation necessary to advance PA Practice.
Optimal Team Practice for PAs (H.2371 / S.1502) – Modernizing PA practice laws to reflect team-based care and improve patient access.
PA Licensure Compact (H.2531 / S.1608) – Expands workforce mobility and improves access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Section 12 (H.2206 / S.1387) – Enables PAs to authorize psychiatric holds and ensure adequate training on their use.

Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or attending Lobby Day for the first time, MAPA will provide the tools, talking points, and support you need. Your presence matters! Legislators consistently tell us that hearing directly from PAs who are constituents influences how they understand healthcare policy.

Lobby Day: Tuesday, April 7
Location: Massachusetts State House

Your involvement supports policies that allow PAs to continue providing high-quality, accessible care throughout Massachusetts. As an added bonus MAPA Fellow Members will be able to apply for Category I CME sponsored by MAPA.

Sign up today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNKZkhSiQ1VNpa1vGEFHnkcGMU3c9mVZk6ExXgAKC7b12PBQ/viewform?pli=1&fbzx=293291180141893726

We look forward to advocating alongside you and ensuring Mass remains the best place to practice as a PA!

01/14/2026

Massachusetts can’t lead in healthcare with a licensure system stuck in the past. Kudos to President Elect, Jess Britnell, of Mass General Brigham for highlighting the disparity

A new Boston Globe editorial makes it clear: patients don’t live within state borders, and care shouldn’t either. Outdated licensing rules restrict access, disrupt continuity of care, and hit rural and underserved communities the hardest.

This is especially urgent as Massachusetts begins implements its funding from the Rural Health Transformation Fund. Federal dollars alone won’t solve access gaps if clinicians are still blocked from practicing where patients need them most.

Thank you to our sponsors Senator Jake Oliveira and Lindsay Sabadosa, State Representative, 1st Hampshire District for their leadership in ensuring Mass is the best place to practice as a PA!

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/13/opinion/interstate-compact-medical-doctors/

American Academy of Physician Associates

Interstate compacts could make licensing easier for doctors and physician assistants.

11/04/2025

🚀 Save the Date!
We’re proud to partner with Mass General Brigham for the 2026 APP Conference: Shaping the Future of Clinical Practice.

Advanced Practice Clinicians are redefining healthcare delivery across Massachusetts and beyond. This conference will bring together PAs, NPs, and healthcare leaders to explore innovative models of care, workforce sustainability, policy updates, and the evolving scope of clinical practice in our healthcare system.

📅 Friday, March 20, 2026
📍 Assembly Row – Somerville, MA
🟦 Registration opens December 2025

Whether you're a student, seasoned clinician or early in your career, this is your opportunity to connect, learn, and lead.

More details to come — stay tuned!

10/30/2025

In 2020, Massachusetts took an extraordinary step: through a federal Medicaid Section 1115 waiver, MassHealth launched the Flexible Services Program — an initiative empowering its 17 Accountable Care Organizations to partner with community nonprofits to deliver “Food Is Medicine” supports like medically tailored meals, grocery deliveries, and nutrition education.

The results were clear. Over three years, the program served more than 20,000 members and was associated with a 23 % reduction in hospitalizations and a 13 % drop in emergency-room visits. Adults enrolled longer than 90 days even generated net savings for the state. Massachusetts proved what public health experts have said for years: food is medicine — and when people can afford to eat, they stay healthier and out of the hospital.

Now, in the midst of a government shutdown, SNAP benefits have been put on the chopping block. For millions of families, that means staring into an empty fridge and making impossible choices — which child eats first, which meal gets skipped, and how to stretch a week’s groceries across two. These are not political abstractions they are realities felt at millions of kitchen tables across the country.

For anyone facing food insecurity below is a list of resources for anyone in need of some extra help.

SNAP recipients in need of food resources are advised to call or text the Project Bread hotline at 1-800-645-8333. For more information visit Mass.gov/SNAPFreeze.

10/28/2025

This week, MAPA provided testimony in support of S.1321, An Act clarifying the wage act to protect hospital workers from being deprived of their wages sponsored by Senator Paul Feeney . This legislation would extend Wage Act protections to hospital workers across Massachusetts.

Currently, hospital-based clinical staff often face inconsistent compensation practices, limitations on earned time, and a lack of access to the same legal protections available to most workers across the Commonwealth. These bills would help ensure clarity, fairness, and accountability in compensation for PAs and the broader healthcare workforce.

MAPA believes that supporting the healthcare workforce supports patient care. Fairness in compensation is part of building a stable, respected, and sustainable healthcare system.

We respectfully urge the Joint Committee on Labor & Workforce Development to report S.1321

10/24/2025

In 2020, Massachusetts took an extraordinary step: through a federal Medicaid Section 1115 waiver, MassHealth launched the Flexible Services Program — an initiative empowering its 17 Accountable Care Organizations to partner with community nonprofits to deliver “Food Is Medicine” supports like medically tailored meals, grocery deliveries, and nutrition education.

The results were clear. Over three years, the program served more than 20,000 members and was associated with a 23 % reduction in hospitalizations and a 13 % drop in emergency-room visits. Adults enrolled longer than 90 days even generated net savings for the state. Massachusetts proved what public health experts have said for years: food is medicine — and when people can afford to eat, they stay healthier and out of the hospital.

Now, in the midst of a government shutdown, SNAP benefits have been put on the chopping block. For millions of families, that means staring into an empty fridge and making impossible choices — which child eats first, which meal gets skipped, and how to stretch a week’s groceries across two. These are not political abstractions they are realities felt at millions of kitchen tables across the country.

Cutting nutrition assistance doesn’t save money — it shifts the burden to overcrowded emergency rooms and underfunded hospitals, fueling preventable hospitalizations and unnecessary suffering. And it does so at a time when our health-care system is already on life support — with record staffing shortages, closed community hospitals, and emergency departments overwhelmed.

We’re grateful that the Office of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is standing up today and calling on the federal government to keep food-assistance benefits flowing for Massachusetts families during this shutdown.

The governor said more than one million people in Massachusetts will need help finding food next month if the government shutdown continues.

10/22/2025

The Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants (MAPA) is pleased to announce its formal support of Senate Bill 1321 An Act clarifying the Wage Act to protect hospital workers from being deprived of their wages, sponsored by Senator Paul Feeney.

Why this matters:

• Many hospital-based employees fall within wage-law exemptions that leave them vulnerable to delayed or unpaid wages.
• This legislation would remove hospitals from those exemptions, ensuring that hospital workers are fully covered under the Massachusetts Wage Act — including eligibility for mandatory triple damages and attorney’s fees if wages are unlawfully withheld.

The Massachusetts Wage Act provides strong deterrents against wage theft, reflecting the Commonwealth’s commitment to fair labor practices. Closing this exemption ensures accountability for all employers — including hospitals — and restores confidence that healthcare workers will be treated with fairness and integrity.

10/20/2025

Support Healthcare Access in Peru – November 2025 Medical Mission

This November, MAPA will be hosting CME for participants in a medical mission with our global health partner, FNE International, as they travel to Peru. During the course of the two-week brigade, participants providing essential healthcare services to underserved communities. These missions are about more than direct care — they support long-term access, community development, and health equity.

🩺 A key part of FNE International's approach is sourcing all medical and pharmacy supplies locally within Peru. This not only strengthens the local economy, but also ensures patients can access follow-up care after the mission ends — using resources familiar and available to them. And we need your help to ensure that FNE INTERNATIONAL is able to make a big impact. We are asking for your help in raising funds to help support the brigade.

Donate here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/fne-international/november-2025-peru-medical-missions

Any contribution is welcome. Nearly 100% of donated funds go directly toward medical care. No portion of your donation will be used to cover travel, lodging, or personal expenses for volunteers. All mission participants are responsible for funding their own travel costs. All donations to FNE International are tax deductible.

10/10/2025

Happy PA Week to all the incredible Physician Associates across Massachusetts and beyond! 🎉

We’re celebrating with exciting news from Beacon Hill: both the Optimal Team Practice modernization bill and the PA Interstate Licensure Compact bill have advanced out of the House Committee on Public Health without objection — an important step forward for our profession and the patients we serve.

The OTP bill (H.2371) modernizes PA practice by allowing direct reimbursement from insurers, strengthening collaboration at the practice level, and expanding flexibility for healthcare teams — especially in underserved areas.

The Interstate Compact bill (H.2531) enables PAs to practice across state lines more easily, improving workforce mobility and helping address access challenges throughout the region.

A huge thank-you to Christine Barber - State Representative and Sen. Julian Cyr for their leadership on OTP and Lindsay Sabadosa, State Representative, 1st Hampshire District and Senator Jake Oliveira for their leadership on Interstate Compact. A special thank you to every MAPA member who continues to advocate for these essential reforms. While this is a major milestone, both bills will likely be referred to additional committees as part of the legislative process — and we still have a long road ahead.

Together, we’ll keep pushing forward to ensure Massachusetts remains a leader in advancing healthcare access and supporting the PA profession.

American Academy of Physician Associates

10/10/2025

Congratulations Tufts University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program

10/06/2025

Happy PA Week!

just picked up a copy of a Proclamation from Governor Maura Healey's Office declaring October 6-12 PA week. Thank you to the Governor and her staff!