Comparing Use of Low-Value Health Care Services Among U.S. Advanced Practice Clinicians and Physicians.
BACKGROUND
Many physicians believe that advanced practice clinicians (APCs [nurse practitioners and physician assistants]) provide care of relatively lower value.


OBJECTIVE
To compare use of low-value services among U.S. APCs and physicians.


METHODS
Service use after primary care visits was evaluated for 3 conditions after adjustment for patient and provider characteristics and year. Patients with guideline-based red flags were excluded and analyses stratified by office- versus hospital-based visits, acute versus nonacute presentations, and whether clinicians self-identified as the patient's primary care provider (PCP).


METHODS
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), 1997 to 2011.


METHODS
Patients presenting with upper respiratory infections (URIs), back pain, or headache.


METHODS
Use of guideline-discordant antibiotics (for URIs), radiography (for URIs and back pain), computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (for headache and back pain), and referrals to other physicians (for all 3 conditions).


RESULTS
12 170 physician and 473 APC office-based visits and 13 359 physician and 2947 APC hospital-based visits were identified. Although office-based clinicians saw similar patients, hospital-based APCs saw younger patients (mean age, 42.6 vs. 45.0 years; P < 0.001), and practiced in urban settings less frequently (49.7% vs. 81.7% of visits; P < 0.001) than hospital-based physicians. Unadjusted and adjusted results revealed that APCs ordered antibiotics, CT or MRI, radiography, and referrals as often as physicians in both settings. Stratification suggested that self-identified PCP APCs ordered more services than PCP physicians in the hospital-based setting.


CONCLUSIONS
NHAMCS reflects hospital-based APC care; NAMCS samples physician practices and likely underrepresents office-based APCs.


CONCLUSIONS
APCs and physicians provided an equivalent amount of low-value health services, dispelling physicians' perceptions that APCs provide lower-value care than physicians for these common conditions.


BACKGROUND
U.S. Health Services and Research Administration, Ryoichi Sasakawa Fellowship Fund, and National Institutes of Health.
John N
JN
Mafi
Christina C
CC
Wee
Roger B
RB
Davis
Bruce E
BE
Landon
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001416:Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009819:Office Visits / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States