1. Understanding the role of advanced practice providers in oncology in the United States
- Author
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Wendy Vogel, Noël Smith, Suanna S. Bruinooge, Todd A. Pickard, Shannon N. Westin, Stephanie F. Williams, Heather M. Hylton, Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer, Michael P. Kosty, Margaret Rosenzweig, Conor Lynch, Amy Hanley, Eric Tetzlaff, and Caroline Schenkel
- Subjects
Oncology ,Male ,Nurse practitioners ,Review Article ,Medical Oncology ,Nurse Assisting ,0302 clinical medicine ,Neoplasms ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Response rate (survey) ,Oncologists ,Advanced Practice Nursing ,Patient care team ,Oncology (nursing) ,Health Policy ,Compensation (psychology) ,Oncology Nursing ,Neoplasms therapy ,Patient counseling ,Middle Aged ,Physician Assistants ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Practice Guidelines as Topic ,Compensation and Redress ,Female ,Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health Personnel ,MEDLINE ,Survey result ,Gynecologic oncology ,Patient care ,03 medical and health sciences ,Professional Role ,Internal medicine ,Survivorship curve ,mental disorders ,Radiation oncology ,medicine ,Humans ,Nurse Practitioners ,Physician assistants ,Aged ,Quality of Health Care ,Patient Care Team ,Errata ,business.industry ,United States ,Treatment management ,Patient Care ,business - Abstract
Purpose: Advanced practice providers (APPs, which include nurse practitioners [NPs] and physician assistants [PAs]) are integral members of oncology teams. This study aims first to identify all oncology APPs and, second, to understand personal and practice characteristics (including compensation) of those APPs. Methods: We identified APPs who practice oncology from membership and claims data. We surveyed 3,055 APPs about their roles in clinical care. Results: We identified at least 5,350 APPs in oncology and an additional 5,400 who might practice oncology. Survey respondents totaled 577, which provided a 19% response rate. Results focused on 540 NPs and PAs. Greater than 90% reported satisfaction with career choice. Respondents identified predominately as white (89%) and female (94%). NPs and PAs spent the majority (80%) of time in direct patient care. The top four patient care activities were patient counseling (NPs, 94%; PAs, 98%), prescribing (NPs, 93%; PAs, 97%), treatment management (NPs, 89%; PAs, 93%), and follow-up visits (NPs, 81%; PAs, 86%). A majority of all APPs reported both independent and shared visits (65% hematology/oncology/survivorship/prevention/pediatric hematology/oncology; 85% surgical/gynecologic oncology; 78% radiation oncology). A minority of APPs reported that they conducted only shared visits. Average annual compensation was between $113,000 and $115,000, which is approximately $10,000 higher than average pay for nononcology APPs. Conclusion: We identified 5,350 oncology APPs and conclude that number may be as high as 7,000. Survey results suggest that practices that incorporate APPs routinely rely on them for patient care. Given the increasing number of patients with and survivors of cancer, APPs are important to ensure access to quality cancer care now and in the future.
- Published
- 2018