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86 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Content management built for healthcare enterprises, by healthcare professionals © 2021 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. All rights reserved. Find QuestQuanum on: For more than 25 years, Quanum Enterprise Content Solutions has empowered leading healthcare organizations to stay ahead of trends and demands. Our customers know they can rely on us for timely updates and seamless integrations that keep them positioned competitively at the forefront of technology. Discover how we can help your hospital or health system establish a more complete, current, and accurate care profile with Quanum Enterprise Content Solutions. Contact us today at QuanumECS@QuestDiagnostics.com. QuanumECS.com PAs seek new title: 'Physician associate' By Mackenzie Bean T he American Academy of Physician Assistants is adopting "physician as- sociate" as the official title for the PA profession. e AAPA House of Delegates passed the resolution May 24 in a 198-to-68 vote. e change has been several years in the making. In 2018, AAPA hired a healthcare marketing research and branding firm to determine the best title and marketing strategy for the pro- fession, according to MedPage Today. Implementing the new title is expected to take several years and will cost about $21.6 million, according to AAPA. PAs should not refer to themselves as "phy- sician associates" until legislative and regu- latory changes are made to incorporate the new title, the organization said. n Physician assistant title change opposed by American Osteopathic Association By Mackenzie Bean A push to change physician assistants' professional title could cause con- fusion about medical roles and undermine the importance of a phy- sician-led care team model, thereby threatening patient safety, the American Osteopathic Association said May 28. On May 24, the American Academy of Physician Assistants voted to adopt "physician associate" as the official title for the PA profession. The change comes about three years after the academy hired a healthcare marketing research and branding firm to determine the best title and marketing strategy for the profession. The osteopathic association recognizes PAs and advanced practice registered nurs- es' struggle to achieve professional parity, but such efforts should "not be at the expense of the truth in advertising and clarity of roles in our healthcare system," association President Thomas Ely, DO, and CEO Kevin Klauer, DO, said in the May 28 statement. "Professional credentials, titles and how we convey such information to patients is of great import and not a matter of marketing," they said. "This title change could easily create confusion for patients and put their safety at risk." The association, which represents more than 151,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students nationwide, is calling for "truth in advertising" regarding the use of professional designations for nonphysician clinicians, along with more collaborative discussions on these topics. n