Why would a doctor refer a family to his affiliated physician's assistant?

Team work: Physician assistants are trained to work as a team member with a physician. They are qualified to take care of stable conditions and also able to recognize when the physician should be called back in to address a problem. This allows the physician to spend more time with someone that has a less stable condition. This will become more of a necessity in the years ahead as we have fewer physicians.

Physician Assistant: Physician assistants help in the office by handling more routine tasks so the doctor can focus taking care of more serious issues. The PA is supervised by the physician and signs off on notes daily.