Driving high-functioning clinical teams: An advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant optimization...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Operations
• Advanced Practice Providers

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 creating high-functioning clinical teams and meeting evolving healthcare demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish effective and efficient utilization practices for a growing number of APRNs and PAs at a large academic medical center.
• To assess and optimize the practice of nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and PAs at the clinical and departmental levels.

Main Methods:

• An internal assessment service was developed to evaluate NP/CNM/CNS/PA practice across 32 clinical areas.
• Data collection involved surveys and over 200 interviews with NP/CNM/CNS and PA providers.
• Assessments focused on utilization, billing, professional development, and team communication.

Main Results:

• Common themes emerged regarding productivity, clinical operations, and professional development/support.
• Qualitative and quantitative data were compiled to identify areas for improvement.
• Key themes were categorized into productivity, clinical operations, and professional development/support.

Conclusions:

• Recommendations for NP/CNM/CNS/PA practice were presented to department leaders.
• Departments implementing recommendations reported positive outcomes, including increased financial gain and patient access.
• Successful implementation led to increased relative value units, revenue, clinic densities, and overall provider satisfaction.