Expand Your Practice’s Potential Through Use of Physician

By Kelly Cowie. Quantity versus quality is an age-old dilemma, but one that is hitting the medical community particularly hard. With just so many hours in a day, how do physicians squeeze in more patients without feeling like they’re skimping on quality? Adding another physician to a practice is one answer, but it can be a lengthy and expensive -- and perhaps unnecessary -- solution. Instead, many hospitals and clinics across the country are turning to physicians extenders.. Physician extender is a broad term covering such advanced healthcare providers as physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and certified nurse midwives (CNMs). Though each type of physician extender has a distinct scope of practice, they can all be of great benefit, say physicians who use them.. Francis L. Stier, a nurse practitioner at Desert Cardiology in Tucson, Ariz., runs her practice's lipids clinic, spending hours teaching, advising, and doing follow-up on cardiac cases. "The cardiologists couldn't work the clinic," Stier says. "Their time is too expensive and valuable. But NPs can. It's great PR, great patient care, and very valuable to the practice.". She believes patients feel more comfortable asking her questions than they do taking up the cardiologists’ time, and says she gets more information thanks to the length of time she can spend with them.. "Another ...

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