Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs and degrees have increased substantially in recent years and there has been controversy surrounding whether more advanced practiced registered nurses should be prepared by DNP programs that are lengthier and more expensive than other masters degree programs. However, little research has been conducted that explores the role of DNP-prepared…
In conjunction with other legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is transforming medical care in the United States. The ACA is seeking to improve patient and population health outcomes while lowering costs. One mechanism is to incentivize the use of interprofessional health teams in primary and specialty care settings. These changes require reconfiguring and…
The Institute of Medicine has called for an increase in the diversity of the registered nurse (RN) workforce as well as an increase in the percentage of registered nurses who have a baccalaureate degree. A prior study has indicated that 33% of registered nurses who transitioned from licensed practical nurses (LPNs) between 2001 and 2013…
Many organizations have called for increased transparency and accountability for public funds invested in graduate medical education (GME) but federal efforts have stalled. In the absence of federal GME reform, states are increasingly exploring ways to leverage Medicaid funds to shape the size, specialty mix, and geographic distribution of their workforce. This policy brief investigates…
There is a distinct need for a flexible ambulatory care workforce that possesses core clinical and practice management competencies, but is also nimble in its ability to adapt to new innovations. This requires programs that can facilitate continuous learning of new skill sets needed to keep pace with emerging federal and state policies that are…
Many health workforce models project shortages in multiple specialties. Graduate medical education could be expanded or redistributed to help fill these shortages if training positions are allocated appropriately. This article presents an objective, evidence-based methodology that could be used to allocate thousands of new graduate medical education slots by state and specialty to address projected…
The rate at which physicians migrate from one state to another varies both between and within specialties. A better understanding of the migration patterns within specialties would help improve workforce projections. This article describes a comparison between physicians in the 2009 American Medical Association Masterfile data and those in the 2013 file to help estimate…
Social workers are flexible employees with a wide variety of skills that can be adapted to fit complex and highly integrated healthcare settings. Many integrated health teams have benefited from the involvement of social workers, but little research has been conducted that examines the roles that social workers perform in these settings. This brief describes…
While federal graduate medical education (GME) reform efforts have stalled, states have become increasingly active in determining ways to target Medicaid and state appropriations toward producing the workforce needed to meet population health needs. However, states have voiced the need for better data to determine where to target these funds and evaluate their return on…
New healthcare delivery and payment models demand that primary care physicians (PCPs) deliver coordinated, integrated, team-based care to promote population health. Physical therapists (PTs) are part of this team-based care for the treatment of musculoskeletal, neurological, and other conditions seen in primary care. Limited evidence exists on the extent to which PCPs engage PTs in patient…
