Best Practice Care Models for Effective Hospital Medicine Teams-Slides

Slides

Pdf Summary

This presentation by Jennifer Barnett, Frannie Lorenzi, and Sara Millwee reviews best practice care models utilizing Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in hospital medicine. It explores the evolution from initial caution about midlevel providers to widespread integration, with over 60% of hospital medicine groups now including PA/NPs. These providers are essential for improving efficiency, maintaining clinical outcomes, and reducing costs.<br /><br />Key statistics highlight the growth of APPs: over 385,000 NPs and 168,300 PAs in the U.S., with job growth projections of 51.1% and 31.3% respectively over the next decade. Despite high potential, many APPs feel underutilized and report professional dissatisfaction, underscoring the need for practice redesign to enable them to work at the top of their license with clear roles and collaborative team culture.<br /><br />Successful models focus on co-management, triage, observation units, critical care support, cross-cover, transitions of care, and hospital-at-home programs. Examples include the University of Colorado’s large academic center with APP faculty integrated into diverse teams and leadership roles, and Emory Healthcare’s system-wide collaborative care model where NPs/PAs manage admissions, cross-cover calls, and participate in rapid responses, emphasizing teamwork with physicians.<br /><br />Innovations in transitions of care involve post-discharge telehealth visits by APPs, hospital-at-home models with remote monitoring, and dedicated transitional care clinics aimed at reducing readmissions through early intervention and addressing social determinants of health.<br /><br />Looking ahead, the future of PA/NPs in hospital medicine will be shaped by innovations in quality-based reimbursement, expansion of hospital-at-home programs, growth in workforce roles, increased collaborative culture, leadership development, and advocacy at multiple levels. The presentation encourages embracing APPs as key partners in hospital medicine to enhance patient care, workforce satisfaction, and system efficiency.

Keywords

Physician Assistants

Nurse Practitioners

Hospital Medicine

Advanced Practice Providers

Care Models

Co-management

Transitions of Care

Hospital-at-Home

Collaborative Team Culture

Workforce Satisfaction