Driving high-functioning clinical teams: An advanced practice registered nurse and PA optimization initiative

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Operations
• Advanced Practice Provider Utilization

Background:

• Healthcare systems face pressure to adapt operations for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs).
• Optimizing workflows for APRNs and PAs is crucial for developing high-functioning clinical teams.
• A large academic medical center recognized the need to improve APRN and PA utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish effective and efficient utilization practices for APRNs and PAs.
• To assess and optimize the practice of nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and PAs at the clinical and department levels.

Main Methods:

• An internal assessment service was developed by the APP Best Practice Center.
• Evaluations included surveys and interviews with NPs, CNMs, CNSs, and PAs across 32 clinical areas.
• Assessments covered utilization, billing, professional development, and team communication.

Main Results:

• Common themes emerged across qualitative and quantitative reports.
• Key themes were categorized into productivity, clinical operations, and professional development/support.
• Recommendations were formulated based on identified themes.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of recommendations by departments yielded positive outcomes.
• Observed benefits included increased financial gain (RVUs, revenue) and improved patient access (clinic densities).
• Enhanced NP, CNM, CNS, and PA satisfaction was also noted.