Developing ambulatory care clinics: nurse practitioners as primary providers

Area of Science:

• Geriatric primary care
• Ambulatory healthcare services
• Nursing practice management

Background:

• Hospitals explore ambulatory clinics for revenue.
• Nursing executives are expanding practice areas.
• Nurse-managed clinics offer new practice opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the five-year growth of a nurse-managed ambulatory clinic.
• To analyze nurse practitioner leadership and interprofessional accountability.
• To evaluate the clinic's service model, marketing, and financial feasibility.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal case study of a nurse-managed clinic.
• Analysis of clinic services, marketing, and financial data.
• Examination of nurse practitioner roles and interprofessional collaboration.

Main Results:

• The clinic demonstrated significant growth over five years.
• Nurse practitioner leadership was central to clinic operations.
• The clinic proved financially feasible and contributed to the hospital.

Conclusions:

• Nurse-managed clinics can successfully provide primary care to older adults.
• Nurse practitioner leadership is key to developing innovative healthcare models.
• These clinics offer a viable, cost-effective service contributing to hospital sustainability.