Phoenix Newsletter - October 2025 President’s Message: Enduring Commitments in a Time of Change Read President’s Message: Enduring Commitments in a Time of Change
Home Research Research Library Which family physicians work routinely with nurse practitioners, physician assistants or certified nurse midwives Which family physicians work routinely with nurse practitioners, physician assistants or certified nurse midwives 2014 Author(s) Peterson, Lars E, Blackburn, Brenna E, Petterson, Stephen M, Puffer, James C, Bazemore, Andrew W, and Phillips, Robert L Topic(s) Role of Primary Care, and What Family Physicians Do Keyword(s) Maternity Care, and Teams Volume Journal of Rural Health Source Journal of Rural Health Purpose: Facing rising numbers of insured with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, policy makers are interested in building teams of providers that can accommodate a growing demand for primary care services. Nurse Practitioners (NPs), Physician Assistants (PAs), and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) already augment the physician workforce, particularly in rural areas. Our objective was to determine what physician and areal-level characteristics were associated with working with NPs, PAs or CNMs. Methods: The sample consisted of a convenience sample of physicians through the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) website in the fall of 2011. We linked these data to demographic and practice information collected by the ABFM and with provider information supplied from the National Provider Identifier file aggregated at the Primary Care Service Area level. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to determine variables associated with working with NPs, PAs, or CNMs. Findings: Of the 3,855 family physicians in our sample, 60% reported routinely working with NPs, PAs, or CNMs. In regression analysis, characteristics positively associated with working with NPs, PAs, or CNMs were providing gynecological care (Odds Ratio = 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.42]), multispecialty group practice (OR = 1.72 [1.36-2.18]), any rural setting, and higher availability of PAs (OR = 1.40 [1.10-1.79]). Restrictive NP scope of practice laws failed to reach significance (OR = 0.86 [0.71-1.05]). Conclusions: This study suggests that the number of family physicians routinely working with NPs, PAs, and CNMs continues to increase, which may allow for improved access to health care, particularly in rural areas. ABFM Research Read all 2022 Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: To What End? Go to Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: To What End? 2018 Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network Go to Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network 2023 Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices Go to Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices 2019 Scope of Practice and Patient Panel Size of Family Physicians Who Work With Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants Go to Scope of Practice and Patient Panel Size of Family Physicians Who Work With Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants
Author(s) Peterson, Lars E, Blackburn, Brenna E, Petterson, Stephen M, Puffer, James C, Bazemore, Andrew W, and Phillips, Robert L Topic(s) Role of Primary Care, and What Family Physicians Do Keyword(s) Maternity Care, and Teams Volume Journal of Rural Health Source Journal of Rural Health
ABFM Research Read all 2022 Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: To What End? Go to Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: To What End? 2018 Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network Go to Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network 2023 Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices Go to Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices 2019 Scope of Practice and Patient Panel Size of Family Physicians Who Work With Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants Go to Scope of Practice and Patient Panel Size of Family Physicians Who Work With Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants
2022 Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: To What End? Go to Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: To What End?
2018 Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network Go to Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network
2023 Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices Go to Racial/Ethnic Minority Identifying Family Physicians Are More Likely to Work in Solo Practices
2019 Scope of Practice and Patient Panel Size of Family Physicians Who Work With Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants Go to Scope of Practice and Patient Panel Size of Family Physicians Who Work With Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants
