Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Utilization

APP Utilization

Advanced Practice Professionals (APPs) are an increasingly important part of care delivery and make up an increasing percentage of a health system’s employed provider networks.  However many health systems struggle to effectively integrate APPs and utilize them at top-of-license within the care delivery environment. 

Employment, compensation, and utilization strategies and tactics are just as important for APPs as they are for physicians – but many health systems do not approach them in the same way. Compensation models often offer a lack of incentive or competing incentives with physicians. Similarly, hiring APPs as a strategy to fill gaps in care delivery caused by recruitment difficulties does not bear fruit unless the APPs can be effectively assimilated into the organization’s culture and care delivery models in a manner that permits reliable, top of license usage. APP collaboration presents a spectrum of physician involvement that varies according to experience level, specialty, APP productivity, and state and organizational review requirements. The effort required to fulfill these expectations are often not distinguished and appropriately recognized in the physician compensation model.  

Network Evaluation

 HSG supports top-of-license utilization and integration into health system employed provider networks through a comprehensive approach that evaluates the following:  

• APP Provider Mix and Utilization and Performance by Specialty and by Practice  
• Compensation Plan Incentives for Physicians and APPs in both Individual and Team-Based Care Compensation Models  
• APP Administrative and Collegial Onboarding  
• APP Participation and Integration into Practice, Service Line and Network Leadership Structures