Advanced Practice Providers in Otolaryngology: Addressing the Patient Access Gap (AMW)
2021 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience
With an aging population and static national otolaryngology workforce, there is increasing unmet demand for otolaryngology care with a projected deficit of 1620 otolaryngology physicians by 2025. The advanced practice providers (APP) workforce grew nearly 35% over the last five years with a 51% increase in the number of unique APPs billing for common otolaryngology procedures. While APPs are expected to play an important role in health care delivery in the face of physician shortage, there are significant challenges and limited data on (1) the utilization of APPs in otolaryngology care and (2) establishing a practice structure to support successful integration and engagement of APPs into team-based models of care. Lessons learned from practice environments incorporating APPs over the last decade offer opportunities to optimize timely, equitable otolaryngology care delivery particularly in the era of telemedicine. The goal of this interactive panel presentation is to understand the evolving role of APPs in otolaryngology care and strategies for successful integration into practice environments to increase patient access and satisfaction. These expert panelists will describe (1) an overview of national APP vs. physician workforce trends, (2) current challenges in the utilization and optimization of APPs with opportunities for improved data collection, and (3) value in successful integration of APPs into Otolaryngology practices to increasing patient access and satisfaction, particularly with increasing patient demands and a static physician workforce. The panelists will provide a framework for ongoing decision-making with the goal of optimizing patient outcomes with limited physician and financial resources.
Credits
CME:1.0, MOC:1.0