EHR Adoption 75% More Likely for Practices with NPs, PAs
Posted over 9 years ago by Nicholas M Perrino
"Practices that employ advanced practice providers (APPs) — such as nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), are nearly 75-percent more likely to adopt EHR technology than those that do not, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Managed Care.
The study sought to examine the relationship between practices who employ APPs and EHR adoption habits, taking note of the role both elements play in supporting the triple aim of better health care, better costs, and healthier people.
The researchers hypothesized that practices that employ NPs, PAs, and the like are also more likely to adopt EHR technology because APPs promote a high level of team-based care and care coordination, two elements which are enhanced by EHR technology.
Using results of a large-scale national survey from 2013, the researchers concluded that those practices that employ APPs are indeed more likely to adopt EHR technology than those that do not. Nearly 74 percent of practices that employ NPs adopt EHRs, while 76 percent of practices with PAs adopt EHRs. In contrast, only 58 percent of practices that do not employ APPs adopt EHRs.
The researchers also explained that those practices that employ APPs see greater clinical efficiency. Because physicians see more tasks associated with EHR integrating EHRs into care, it is possible that practices employ more APPs to do the simpler patient care so that physicians can concentrate on more complex cases."