Comparison of Work Patterns Between Physicians and Advanced Practice Practitioners in Primary Care and Specialty...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Workforce Dynamics
• Clinical Practice Patterns
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Advanced practice practitioners (APPs), including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, are increasingly integral to healthcare delivery.
• However, their work patterns and integration within care teams compared to physicians remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare the work patterns of physicians and APPs across various specialties.
• Key areas of comparison include appointment scheduling, visit types, and electronic health record (EHR) utilization.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide, cross-sectional study utilizing electronic health record (EHR) data from US institutions using Epic Systems.
• Data from January to May 2021 were analyzed to compare appointment days, visit types (new/established, E/M levels), and EHR time for physicians and APPs.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were observed in appointment frequency and visit types between physicians and APPs across specialties.
• Physicians generally managed more new patient visits and higher-level evaluation and management (E/M) visits.
• EHR usage patterns varied, with physicians in medical and surgical specialties spending less time on EHRs than APPs, while primary care physicians spent more time.

Conclusions:

• This study reveals significant variations in clinical practice and EHR use between physicians and APPs across different specialty types.
• These findings provide crucial context for understanding the roles and integration of physicians and APPs, laying groundwork for future outcome and quality assessments.