Factors influencing the physician market for primary care new health practitioners

The relative importance of various constraints on the employment of New Health Practitioners (NHPs) by physicians is assessed. Primary care physicians in Washington State were surveyed regarding their familiarity with and perceptions of NHPs. Almost 90 per cent of respondents were familiar with NHPs, and 47 per cent had thought about how an NHP would affect their practices. Physicians generally believed NHPs would have a neutral or positive impact on most aspects of their practices, though more than half were concerned about patient acceptance, administrative problems and reimbursement for NHP services. Fifty per cent of the physicians preferred working with other physicians, compared with only seven per cent choosing an NHP as a first choice for dealing with an increasing patient volume. Despite the generally favorable opinion of physicians about NHPs, physician preference for working with other physicians in conjunction with a rapidly increasing supply of primary care physicians may greatly limit future employment opportunities for NHPs.