See also:
Non-Physician Providers (NPPs)
Nurse Midwives, Certified
Nurse Practitioners
Physician Assistants
Payment, Non-Physician Providers
Primary Care
Integrated Practice Arrangements
The AAFP encourages health professionals to work together in the best interest of patients. The AAFP believes, however, that interests of patients are best served when their care is provided by a physician or through an integrated practice supervised directly by a physician.
An integrated practice is an arrangement whereby a licensed physician (MD/DO), jointly with other health care personnel, manages the overall care of a patient or patient population using an integrated approach to health care. The arrangement, preferably described in writing, should be based on a mutually agreed upon and interdependent approach to health care. It should address patient needs for high quality, accessible health care and reflect the skills, training expertise and/or demonstrated current competence of each health care team member.
Integrated practice arrangements should include a licensed physician (MD/DO) supervising one or more non-physician health care providers (physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse mid-wives, various levels of nursing personnel and other non-physician providers) and possibly other physicians working as an interdependent team. The central goal of an integrated health care practice is to provide the most effective, accessible and efficient care to the patient or patient population, preferably based upon clinical and patient-focused outcome measures or assessments. The team member assuming lead responsibility for various aspects of patient care will ultimately be determined by matching team members' clinical competencies and skills with patient needs.
The AAFP recognizes the dynamic nature of the health care environment and the importance of an interdependent team approach to health care that is supervised by a responsible licensed physician. Family physicians practice within dynamic health care systems and provide health/medical care, consultation, management and referral as indicated by the health status of the patient. (1996) (2004)
An integrated practice is an arrangement whereby a licensed physician (MD/DO), jointly with other health care personnel, manages the overall care of a patient or patient population using an integrated approach to health care. The arrangement, preferably described in writing, should be based on a mutually agreed upon and interdependent approach to health care. It should address patient needs for high quality, accessible health care and reflect the skills, training expertise and/or demonstrated current competence of each health care team member.
Integrated practice arrangements should include a licensed physician (MD/DO) supervising one or more non-physician health care providers (physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse mid-wives, various levels of nursing personnel and other non-physician providers) and possibly other physicians working as an interdependent team. The central goal of an integrated health care practice is to provide the most effective, accessible and efficient care to the patient or patient population, preferably based upon clinical and patient-focused outcome measures or assessments. The team member assuming lead responsibility for various aspects of patient care will ultimately be determined by matching team members' clinical competencies and skills with patient needs.
The AAFP recognizes the dynamic nature of the health care environment and the importance of an interdependent team approach to health care that is supervised by a responsible licensed physician. Family physicians practice within dynamic health care systems and provide health/medical care, consultation, management and referral as indicated by the health status of the patient. (1996) (2004)