Key Procedures Performed by APPs in Primary Care Settings

The American Journal of Managed Care recently published an article examining the types of in-office procedures most commonly performed on older adults by advanced practice providers (APPs) in the primary care setting.

Considering the growing healthcare needs of an older population, the study aimed to identify the current skills most commonly performed by APPs and help inform educators which procedures to emphasize in PA and NP training.

The authors studied office-based procedure claims data from 2021 Medicare Part B beneficiaries.

99% of primary care procedure claims made by APPs in 2021 were related to procedures involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, or the eye-ear-nose-throat (EENT). Of the >20,000 PAs and NPs providing in-office procedures to Medicare Part B patients, 84% involved skin, 12% were musculoskeletal, and 3% involved EENT.

The authors argue that more health workforce research is needed to explore outpatient procedural activity across all age groups and populations to ensure proper training of APPs in essential procedures.