Advanced Practice Providers’ Evolving and Important Role in Healthcare
Health & Patients
If you’ve recently received medical treatment, whether through a general practitioner, a specialist, or a hospital setting, you’ve likely met with an advanced practice provider, or APP. These are the nurse practitioners and physician assistants who often work alongside doctors to deliver care to patients.
As a physician shortage continues to grow, APPs will prove even more critical to people’s health and well-being—from primary to specialized care.1
Physician Shortage Is Growing
The Association of American Medical Colleges reported that the United States will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036.1 The trend is driven mainly by a growing older population, as well as a large portion of physicians on the brink of retirement.
What does an aging U.S. population have to do with finding a doctor? Older people tend to experience more health issues and need more access to their providers, including specialists. This will lead to an increase in demand for coveted new patient slots and appointment availability.
- The U.S. population is projected to grow by 8.4% by 2036.1
- The 65+ population is projected to grow by 34.1%, due to the 54.7% growth in the size of the 75+ population.1
Along with an aging general population, many physicians are entering retirement age, which may impact the overall supply of available healthcare providers.
- 20% of the clinical physician workforce is 65 or older, and 22% are between the ages of 55 and 64.1
APPs Can Help Meet Patient Demand
The physician shortage can have serious implications for Americans’ health—especially for those who already struggle with access to healthcare, such as people living in rural areas.
Advanced practice providers make up an important part of a practice’s or health system’s care team, and they often work in close collaboration with physicians. They are able to diagnose diseases and conditions and prescribe treatments and medications, meaning that patients could move from diagnosis to treatment to recovery without needing to see the supervising physician.
While many specialist doctors split their time between office hours and surgery, APPs focus on seeing patients outside of the operating room. Plus, like doctors, they are committed to research, clinical advancements, and treatment best practices. The best physician-APP partnerships thrive with mutual knowledge sharing and medical advancement, in addition to patient care.
Growth of APP Roles in Patient Care
APPs first began to grow in numbers in the 1960s, when there was a shortage in the U.S. primary care workforce.2 Patient numbers continued to grow, and APPs began to fill an important gap.
Since then, APPs continued to play an increasingly essential role in our healthcare system. A study published in The BMJ medical journal in 2023 found that APPs covered a quarter of all healthcare visits in the U.S. in 2019, up from 14% in 2013.3 That sharp increase is expected to grow, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that nurse practitioners and physician assistants will enter the workforce at a much higher rate than physicians over the next decade.4
What Can APPs Do—and Not Do?
With their advanced degrees and rigorous training, all nurse practitioners and physician assistants can:
- Conduct physical examinations and take medical histories
- Order diagnostic tests and interpret results
- Diagnose medical conditions
- Provide and prescribe treatment and medication
- Educate patients on health, conditions, and treatments
In more than half of U.S. states, nurse practitioners can treat patients and prescribe medication independently, while in other states they must practice in collaboration with or under the supervision of a medical doctor. Physician assistants must practice under a medical doctor’s supervision in every state. They work together with the physicians in their practices to deliver care as a collaborative team.5
As the healthcare environment has evolved over the last several decades, so has the role and critical importance of APPs. They have been taking on more patients and more advanced responsibilities to help deliver personalized, quality patient care.
References:
1. GlobalData Plc. The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2021 to 2036. Washington, DC: AAMC; 2024.
2. Sarzynski E, Barry H. Current evidence and controversies: advanced practice providers in healthcare. Am J Manag Care. 2019;25(8):366-368.
3. Patel SY, Auerbach D, Huskamp HA, Frakt A, Neprash H, Barnett ML, et al. Provision of evaluation and management visits by nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the USA from 2013 to 2019: cross-sectional time series study. BMJ. 2023;382:e073933. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-073933
4. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Healthcare Occupations. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Updated August 29, 2024. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm. Accessed September 12, 2024.
5. Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant: What’s the Difference? NurseJournal. Updated August 30, 2024. https://nursejournal.org/resources/np-vs-physician-assistant. Accessed September 12, 2024.
