The Contribution of Physicians, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners Toward Rural Primary Care: Findings From a 13-state Survey

Date
06/2014
Journal
Medical Care
Description

This study quantifies the average weekly number of outpatient primary care visits and the types of services provided within and beyond the outpatient setting by physicians, physician assistants (PAs), and nurse practitioners (NPs) in rural areas. Findings suggest that although a greater reliance on PAs and NPs in rural primary care settings would have a minor impact on outpatient practice volume, this shift might reduce the availability of services that have more often been traditionally provided by rural primary care physicians beyond the outpatient clinic setting.

Center
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Authors
Mark Doescher, Holly Andrilla, Susan Skillman, Perri Morgan, Louise Kaplan