In which states are physician assistants or nurse practitioners more likely to work in primary care?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Radiation Planning Assistant - A Streamlined, Fully Automated Radiotherapy Treatment Planning System
Published on: April 11, 2018
1Esther Hing is a survey statistician with the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Care Statistics, in Hyattsville, Md. At the time this study was done, Chun-Ju Hsiao was a health scientist at the National Center for Health Statistics. He now is a health scientist administrator with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in Rockville, Md. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Objective:
Examine availability of physician assistants (PAs) or nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care physician practices by state and by state PA and NP scope-of-practice laws.
Methods:
Availability of PAs and NPs in primary care practices was examined in multivariate analysis using a 2012 state-based, nationally representative survey of office-based physicians. Covariates included practice characteristics, state, and in a separate model, PA and NP scope-of-practice variables.
Results:
After controlling for practice characteristics, higher use of PAs and NPs was found in three states (Minnesota, Montana, and South Dakota). In a separate model, higher use of PAs or NPs was associated with favorable PA scope-of-practice laws, but not with NP scope-of-practice laws.
Conclusions:
Higher availability of PAs or NPs was associated with favorable PA scope-of-practice laws. Lack of association between PA or NP availability and NP scope-of-practice laws requires further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:17Healthcare Agencies II
Parish nursing is a growing specialty nursing profession that focuses on holistic healthcare, health promotion, and illness prevention. It blends professional nursing practice with a health ministry, focusing on health and healing within the context of a Christian community. Parish nurses serve as health educators, referral sources,...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
01:11Secondary Healthcare System