Concordance between otolaryngologic surgical procedures booked by PAs and procedures ultimately performed

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the concordance between otolaryngologic surgical procedures recommended by physician associates (PAs) and those ultimately performed by surgeons across multiple academic medical centers. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted across three clinical sites from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023. Cases were included if a PA recommended surgery and an operative report was available. Concordance was classified as full, partial, or none. Chi-square and Spearman correlation analyses were used to assess associations with clinical site, PAs' estimated years of experience, patient age, and patient diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 1,595 cases booked by 16 PAs, 95.9% were fully concordant. Concordance varied by clinical site and individual PA and was positively correlated with PAs' estimated years of experience (ρ = .103; P < .001). CONCLUSION: PAs demonstrated high concordance in surgical case booking across multiple academic medical centers. These findings support PA participation in team-based preoperative surgical planning and suggest potential benefits to surgical workflows and access to otolaryngologic care.