• Physician Compensation for Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Oversight

    The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) encourages health professionals to work together as multidisciplinary, integrated teams in the best interest of patients. Patients are best served when their primary care needs are met by physician-led integrated care teams. The AAFP supports appropriate compensation for physicians’ supervision of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in addition to their core compensation. Compensation models should be based on the time and effort required from a physician for supervision, dependent on the expertise of the NPs or PAs (e.g., ability, training, prior experience), panel determination (individual or shared panel), practice regulations (state law, medical board, and practice/institutional rules), scope of care, and practice setting. Compensation should be mutually agreed upon by the employer and physician and included in a written contract. Compensation should be based on the amount of time, liability, and responsibility required and be reviewed on a regular basis. Supervising physicians should understand all responsibilities prior to committing to overseeing NPs or PAs and negotiate their compensation accordingly. Regardless of the compensation structure, physicians should seek protected time for their supervision or collaboration with NPs and PAs. (April 2019 BOD) (April 2024 BOD)