AAPA Testifies in South Carolina on Safety, Quality of PA Care in Push for Modernized Practice Laws 

November 6, 2025

On November 5, AAPA’s Vice President of Reimbursement and Professional Practice Sondra DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, delivered compelling testimony before a subcommittee of the South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee on the benefits, safety, and quality of physician associate (PA) care and the importance of removing supervision requirements for these healthcare practitioners in the state. 

DePalma’s testimony was in support of S.44/H.3579, a PA practice modernization bill brought by the South Carolina Academy of PAs (SCAPA), which seeks to update the state’s PA practice environment and expand access to high-quality care for South Carolinians. 

Among other provisions, the bill would: 

• Allow PAs with more than 2,000 hours of practice to work without a required supervisory agreement. 

• Grant full legal responsibility to experienced PAs for the care they provide. 

• Streamline prescriptive authority, reducing administrative delays that can prevent patients from receiving medications quickly. 

DePalma’s testimony outlined several years of research on the effectiveness of PA care, in addition to studies affirming more modernized PA practice laws improved access to care while maintaining quality and patient safety. Among the research highlighted was a 10-year national study showing that states with more permissive PA practice environments experience no increase in patient risk – and do not increase malpractice claims.  

The subcommittee hearing coincided with the application deadline for the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, a $50 billion federal initiative aimed at strengthening rural healthcare infrastructure throughout the country. Eligibility for funding depends in part on a state’s adoption of PA Compact legislation and modernization of the profession’s practice laws—two critical steps toward expanding access to care and enabling PAs to practice at the top of their education, training, and experience.  

If enacted as written, S.44 would move South Carolina from a “reduced” to an “optimal” practice environment on AAPA’s practice map, positioning the state to receive the maximum 100 points possible for PA practice modernization under the RHT scoring framework.  

In her testimony to the subcommittee, DePalma stated the following: “When it comes to RHT, many of the scoring criteria are fixed or difficult to influence. Modernizing PA practice laws is one of the few scoring criteria fully within South Carolina’s control, and it can be done now. By passing S.44 as written, the state can strengthen its score in next year’s assessment and, more importantly, ensure more patients in rural and underserved communities get timely access to care. This is a tangible step with real benefits for South Carolinians and to the state’s budget.” 

To learn about AAPA’s efforts to modernize PA practice laws nationwide, visit our PA Practice Modernization page.  

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