University of Virginia’s (UVA) advanced practice provider (APP) workforce grew organically over the years. The APP workforce — inclusive of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others — was hired to support UVA’s growth and access initiatives and support inpatient coverage and throughput goals. In 2022 it found itself with more than 500 clinicians with significant inconsistencies in roles, practice models and expectations, limiting the effectiveness of APPs and UVA’s ability to leverage this important workforce. UVA leadership undertook an initiative to reaffirm the expectations and practice models for APPs, create incentives and systems to support the implementation of the new expectations, and elevate the role of APPs to support UVA’s ambulatory and inpatient goals. UVA will share its process for defining the standards during this session and how it supported the transition toward the new standards. Transitioning to the new standards required significant change management and changes to operations. It required clear timelines, data transparency and financial models. To support the APPs in the transition to the new operating standards, UVA also stood up a new Center for Advanced Practice. The Center focused on APP professional development and served as a “professional home” for APPs.
Learning Objectives:
Compare strategies to bolster APP practice and position APPs to meaningfully expand ambulatory access and inpatient coverage
Assess required operational and financial changes to promote new models of APP care
Establish an approach to training physicians and APPs on the impact and rules around the anticipated CMS split-shared billing changes
