title: The employment of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in U.S. nursing homes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nursing facilities with nurse practitioners or physician assistants (NPs or PAs) have been reported to provide better care to residents. Assuming that freestanding nursing homes in urban areas that employ these professionals are making an investment in medical infrastructure, we test the hypotheses that facilities in states with higher Medicaid rates, and those in more competitive markets and markets with higher managed care penetration, are more likely to employ NPs or PAs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Online Survey Certification and Reporting System (OSCAR) database, Area Resource File, and information from surveys of state policies from 1993 to 2002 are used to study the employment of NPs or PAs, using a cross-sectional time-series generalized estimating equation model with surveys nested within facilities, testing several market and state-policy effects while controlling for facility and market characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Throughout the 1990s the proportion of nursing facilities with NPs or PAs doubled, from less than 10% to over 20%. Facilities in states in the upper quartile of Medicaid reimbursement rates were 10% more likely to employ NPs or PAs. Facilities in more competitive markets, and in markets with higher managed care penetration, were more likely to employ NPs or PAs (adjusted odds ratio = 1.27, 1.20 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More generous state Medicaid nursing home reimbursement and higher competition may advance the investment in medical infrastructure, which in turn may positively affect the quality of care provided to nursing home residents.
authors.affiliation: Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, Box G-ST, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Orna_Intrator@brown.edu
authors.forename: Orna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Intrator
authors.forename: Zhanlian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Vince
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mor
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gifford
authors.forename: Meg
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bourbonniere
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zinn
mesh_terms: D004465:Economic Competition; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008484:Medicaid; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000191:economics; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce