ASGE Annual GI Advanced Practice Provider Course (Virtual) - Onboarding Day One | April 2022-03_Optimizing the Role of the APP

03_Optimizing the Role of the APP - Enslin

Pdf Summary

In this document, Sarah Enslin, a PA-C and APP Manager at the University of Rochester Medical Center, discusses optimizing the role of advanced practice providers (APPs) in gastroenterology practice. She highlights the demand for APPs in healthcare, including nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA). The projected growth for PAs and NPs is significant due to factors such as a greater number of insured patients, an aging population with multiple comorbidities, and the physician shortage.<br /><br />Enslin discusses the differences between NPs and PAs, including education, certification, and licensure. She also explores the challenges in enhancing the role of APPs, such as misunderstandings of their scope of practice and a lack of specialization training.<br /><br />The document addresses approaches to onboarding APPs, including orientation processes, setting expectations, and utilizing fellowship programs for specialty education and training. Enslin identifies goals for optimizing the role of APPs, such as providing efficient and high-quality patient care, building a collaborative practice, optimizing reimbursement, and promoting professional development and retention.<br /><br />Challenges in optimizing the role of APPs are discussed, including the difficulty of benchmarking their productivity and work effort. The document also outlines the leadership structure of APPs and the contributions of collaborating physicians, divisions/practices, and institutions/health systems.<br /><br />Enslin emphasizes the importance of professional development for APPs and the benefits it brings to the practice, institution, and health system. Increased retention, reduced turnover, experienced providers, increased morale, and increased productivity are among the benefits of professional development.<br /><br />The document concludes by stating that effective onboarding programs are crucial for successful implementation of APPs in gastroenterology practices. It also highlights that optimizing the role of APPs leads to increased access to care, patient and referring provider satisfaction, maximized reimbursement, increased physician endoscopy time, and higher job satisfaction and retention for APPs.<br /><br />In summary, this document presents information on optimizing the role of APPs in gastroenterology practice, highlighting the demand for APPs, the differences between NPs and PAs, onboarding processes, challenges, and goals for enhancing the role of APPs. It stresses the importance of professional development and its benefits for the practice and APPs.

Keywords

APPs

gastroenterology practice

NPs

PAs

onboarding processes

professional development

patient care

reimbursement

physician shortage

retention