Poster #126 - The Role of Nurse Practitioners' Autonomy in Patient Sorting

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

This paper studies how nurse practitioners' (NPs) practice autonomy from physicians affects the quality of patient-provider matching across different health risk groups. I assess match quality by analyzing the frequency of care from providers with varying expertise and the volume of prescriptions. Using state-level legislative changes in NP scope of practice and confidential Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data (2010–2019), I find that when NPs can practice independently, patients with more chronic diseases transition from primary care physicians to NPs and make more visits to specialty physicians. However, the share of medical conditions treated by NPs remains unchanged, suggesting that NPs continue to handle relatively simple visits such as routine checkups. Patients also increasingly receive prescriptions from NPs instead of physicians, including pain medication and psychotherapeutic drugs. These findings suggest that full practice authority for NPs enables patients with higher health risks to access more specialized care and more readily obtain prescriptions, improving patient sorting across providers based on clinical complexity and care needs. (Estimates are currently under disclosure review)

Author

• Sooa Ahn, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author