Primary Care Practices that Employee Nurse Practitioners (NPS) Are More Likely to Serve Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Communities Than Practices with no nps on staff, colum Nursing Researchers Report in Jama Network OpenAssistant Professor Monica O’Reillly-JACOB, Ph.D., LED The Study, Published Online February 28, 2025.

To better undersrstand the distribution of NPS-WHO are Increasingly Critical to Improving Access to Primary Care-O’Re’reilly- JACOB and Her Collegues Looking at 79,7433 Primary Care PRIMARARY CARATICES ACROSS 53.4% ​​of which employed nps in 2023. The authors note that this is a big jump from 2012, when 21% of of primery care practices employed nps.

Practices with nps was more likely to be based in low-income (23.3% vs. 17.2%) and rural (11.9% vs. 5.5%) areas, the Researchers found. Communities where Primary Care Practices Employed NPS Had More People Living Below The Poverty Level (14.4% vs. 12.8%) and more people without high school Diplomas (19.8% vs.5%).

“This study demonstrates that nps are Increasing for Primary Care Delivery Across the Country, And Especially Within With Socioeconomic Communities,” O’Rellly- Jacob and Herolegaments Note. “This is important as fewer medical residences are Choosing to practice primary care, resulting in an estimated shortfall of 20,200-40,40,400 Primary Care Physicians by 2036.”

Policies are also needed to brings nps to underserved areas, and retain them, the reserchers add, “Such as Strengthening Federal and State Loan Repayment Programs, Establishing Pay Parity Medicaid Programs, and Ensuring Primary Care Provider Designation for NPS Across Payers.