While the COVID-19 pandemic will go down in history as one of the worst health crises in history, it brought out the best in human innovation, adaption, and compassion. 

<p>
  While the COVID-19 pandemic will go down in history as one of the worst health
  crises in history, it brought out the best in human innovation, adaption, and
  compassion. It pushed healthcare leaders and practitioners personally,
  professionally, and within their organizations into a space of uncertainty
  that most have never experienced before.
</p>

<p>
  Those who adjusted to and engaged with the new needs of their organization
  were the architects of innovations in patient care delivery. One of the most
  compelling instances of this is the use of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs)
  in new roles and to the fullest of their practice authority to meet the needs
  of patient care.They have played a vital role in rising to the challenge of
  providing care &ndash; and have opened the minds of healthcare leaders to the
  significant benefits in leveraging Physician Assistants (PAs), Nurse
  Practitioners (NPs)/Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in broader
  ways to drive the future of healthcare delivery.
</p>

<h2>Full Practice Authority: APPs Rise to the Top.</h2>

<p>
  The COVID-19 pandemic required most healthcare organizations to maximize the
  number of frontline providers able to care for patients during surges. More
  than
  <a
    href="https://www.ache.org/-/media/ache/learning-center/education-and-events/app-playbook-122220final.pdf"
    target="_blank"
    >three-quarters (78.6%) of organizations</a
  >
  redeployed or planned to redeploy APPs to frontline specialties as a result of
  clinical staffing shortages in critical departments.
</p>

<h2>Expanded Roles for APPs.</h2>

<p>
  APPs demonstrated their versatility and contributions to patient care in a
  variety of ways during the pandemic crisis, with many institutions now poised
  to leverage them in broader ways. Lessons learned from the pandemic response
  of the APP workforce will shape the future of APPs&rsquo; reskilling and scope
  of practice.
</p>

<h2>Helping Solve the Primary Care Physician (PCP) Shortage.</h2>

<p>
  APPs comprise roughly 30% of the U.S. healthcare workforce and constitute more
  than
  <a
    href="https://www.ache.org/-/media/ache/learning-center/education-and-events/app-playbook-122220final.pdf"
    target="_blank"
    >one-third</a
  >
  of healthcare organizations&rsquo; clinical workforce. In March 2020, the
  American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reported that the number of
  NPs reached an
  <a
    href="https://www.aanp.org/news-feed/number-of-nurse-practitioners-hits-new-record-high"
    target="_blank"
    >all-time high of 290,000</a
  >
  and they expect that number to continue to rise, making APPs a valuable
  solution to large scale provider resource issues. One of the most pressing of
  these issues is a lack of primary care providers.
</p>

<p>
  While there was an estimated shortage of 20,400 primary care physicians in
  2020, the supply of NPs and PAs grew by 30% and 58% respectively, outstripping
  a 17% increase in combined demand, according to the
  <a
    href="https://bhw.hrsa.gov/data-research/projecting-health-workforce-supply-demand/primary-care-practitioners"
    target="_blank"
    >Health Resources and Services Administration</a
  >.
</p>

<h2>Rural Areas May Benefit Most from Expanded APP Use.</h2>

<p>
  While there are 20 percent of Americans living in rural areas today, only 10
  percent of the country&rsquo;s physicians work there. That translates to a
  ratio of one physician for every 2,500 patients. In fact, there were
  approximately
  <a
    href="https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog/medically-underserved-areas-regions-where-u-s-needs-doctors"
    target="_blank"
    >7,214 designated Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
    nationwide</a
  >, with 15,007 practitioners needed to assuage these shortages.
</p>

<h2>By the Numbers: Supply and Demand of APPs.</h2>

<p>
  Simply stated, demand is outstripping current and projected physician
  capacity. The supply of NPs and PAs is growing at a more rapid rate than
  physicians, as the training cycle is shorter. According to the AAMC, the
  increasing integration of APPs in the care delivery mix will result in the
  ratio of physicians to APPs falling over time as the APP supplies grow at
  faster rates than physician supply &ndash; suggesting the physician-to-PA
  ratio will fall from 7:2:1 in 2015 to 3:5:1 in 2030.
</p>

<h2>Temporary Changes Lead to Permanent Solutions.</h2>

<p>
  There are many ways the pandemic has permanently upended the U.S. healthcare
  industry. Many experts are now predicting that hospitals and other facilities
  will continue to allow non-physicians, such as NPs and PAs to fill a bigger
  role in patient care long after the pandemic ends.
</p>

<p>
  As healthcare entities reevaluate budgets, leaders will be rethinking their
  costs, desired outcomes, and capabilities of their staff. A clear
  understanding of each role, including what it means to work to one&rsquo;s
  full scope of practice, making necessary changes to staffing models, and
  innovative utilization of human capital are vital elements in pandemic
  reevaluation and navigating a path forward.
</p>

<p>
  To learn more how the role of APPs is changing and to assist in staff planning
  as organizations recovery and rebuild, download our proprietary white paper,
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountrylocums.com/lp-new-era-advanced-practitioners"
    target="_blank"
    ><em>COVID-Tested: A New Era for Advanced Practitioners</em>.</a
  >
</p>
