TY - JOUR
T1 - Ambulatory and chronic disease care by physician assistants and nurse practitioners
AU - Hooker, Roderick S.
AU - Benitez, Joseph A.
AU - Coplan, Bettie H.
AU - Dehn, Richard W.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - As the US population increases and ages, more patients require care. A reengineered health care system relies on physician assistants and nurse practitioners; however, the extent to which they care for medical conditions is marginally known. We analyzed ambulatory visits by provider type and diagnosis focusing on chronic diseases to identify differences in patients seen by each type of provider. Both physician assistants and nurse practitioners attended 14% of 777 million weighted visits. Overall, diabetes and hypertension accounted for 2% to 4% of visits. The distribution of visits for chronic disease diagnoses appears to be similar for all 3 providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants). These findings may improve organizational efficiency in ambulatory systems.
AB - As the US population increases and ages, more patients require care. A reengineered health care system relies on physician assistants and nurse practitioners; however, the extent to which they care for medical conditions is marginally known. We analyzed ambulatory visits by provider type and diagnosis focusing on chronic diseases to identify differences in patients seen by each type of provider. Both physician assistants and nurse practitioners attended 14% of 777 million weighted visits. Overall, diabetes and hypertension accounted for 2% to 4% of visits. The distribution of visits for chronic disease diagnoses appears to be similar for all 3 providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants). These findings may improve organizational efficiency in ambulatory systems.
KW - Ambulatory Care
KW - Chronic Disease
KW - Hospital Clinics
KW - Nurse Practitioners
KW - Physician Assistants
KW - Rural Health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84885092490&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84885092490&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/JAC.0b013e3182a12ea1
DO - 10.1097/JAC.0b013e3182a12ea1
M3 - Article
C2 - 24402071
AN - SCOPUS:84885092490
SN - 0148-9917
VL - 36
SP - 293
EP - 301
JO - Journal of Ambulatory Care Management
JF - Journal of Ambulatory Care Management
IS - 4
ER -