There has been a prevalent concern within healthcare with the rise in primary care provider need
nationwide. According to a recent study, “the aging population, high prevalence of chronic
illness, and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act have led to an increase in the demand for
primary care that the current supply of primary care providers may be unable to meet”
(Poghosyan et al., 2017). The need for primary care providers has opened the door for advanced
practice nurses to assume the role of primary care provider.
One of the major benefits of a nurse practitioner in primary care is that they are cost-effective.
According to a recent journal article in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Nurse
practitioners have helped significantly lower the cost for patient visits. For primary care practices
and healthcare organizations, the cost for a nurse practitioner is often half of what the cost would
be for a physician, which means they can employ more providers for much less money. In a
recent systematic review regarding nurse practitioners and quality of care, studies showed that
there has been a significant decrease in emergency room visits and hospitalizations as well as a
decrease in the length of stay in the hospital for patients cared for by a nurse practitioner.
The biggest push for providers over the last few years has been quality improvement and patient-
centered care. One main focus for quality improvement has been a focus on decreasing medical
errors. One thing that has helped mitigate errors in care has been a team-based approach. Having
a combination of nurse practitioners and physicians within a clinic or that are in collaboration for
patient care can alleviate the load and “lower clinician exhaustion” (Smith, et al., 2018). This
shared governance between providers can alleviate the stress and help prevent errors in care. It
can also assist in preventing overuse and underuse of care. Nurse Practitioners follow the nursing
nationwide. According to a recent study, “the aging population, high prevalence of chronic
illness, and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act have led to an increase in the demand for
primary care that the current supply of primary care providers may be unable to meet”
(Poghosyan et al., 2017). The need for primary care providers has opened the door for advanced
practice nurses to assume the role of primary care provider.
One of the major benefits of a nurse practitioner in primary care is that they are cost-effective.
According to a recent journal article in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Nurse
practitioners have helped significantly lower the cost for patient visits. For primary care practices
and healthcare organizations, the cost for a nurse practitioner is often half of what the cost would
be for a physician, which means they can employ more providers for much less money. In a
recent systematic review regarding nurse practitioners and quality of care, studies showed that
there has been a significant decrease in emergency room visits and hospitalizations as well as a
decrease in the length of stay in the hospital for patients cared for by a nurse practitioner.
The biggest push for providers over the last few years has been quality improvement and patient-
centered care. One main focus for quality improvement has been a focus on decreasing medical
errors. One thing that has helped mitigate errors in care has been a team-based approach. Having
a combination of nurse practitioners and physicians within a clinic or that are in collaboration for
patient care can alleviate the load and “lower clinician exhaustion” (Smith, et al., 2018). This
shared governance between providers can alleviate the stress and help prevent errors in care. It
can also assist in preventing overuse and underuse of care. Nurse Practitioners follow the nursing
