Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Number of Practicing Physician Assistants

State: Hawaii

Measurement Period: 2020-2021

This indicator shows the number of practicing physician assistants per 100,000 population.

Why is this important?

There is currently a shortage of practicing primary care providers, including physician assistants, in the United States. Population growth, aging, and increasing access to health insurance are expected to drastically increase that need. Some studies have shown that an additional 35,000-50,000 primary care providers will be necessary by the year 2025. Further, the call for primary care providers is unevenly distributed, with rural and low income areas facing the greatest need. While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes provisions to support building the workforce, a meaningful increase may take decades.

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