The presence of physician assistants and nurse practitioners has grown significantly over the last decade, but how have their roles in the field of radiology evolved during this time?
A new paper published Aug. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology digs deeper into this emergence of nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) and how it has impacted clinical, procedural and imaging interpretation volumes in radiology settings [1]. This included an analysis of Medicare claims involving NPPs from 2017 to 2019. Experts weighted the NPP services by work relative value units and then categorized them as clinical evaluation and management (E&M), invasive procedures or noninvasive imaging interpretation.
Corresponding author Stefan Santavicca, MS, of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine and colleagues uncovered a 16.3% increase in radiologist employed NPP Medicare claims during the study period. This resulted in a 17.3% increase of aggregate Medicare fee-for-service work relative value units.
NPPs completing clinical evaluation and management, invasive procedures and imaging interpretation increased by 7.6%, 18.3% and 31.8%, respectively.
Santavicca and colleagues explained that many groups have started employing NPPs in order to expand their services as part of a “team-based approach.”
“We believe that the observed growth of E&M services rendered by radiologist-employed NPPs, particularly in light of increased employment of NPPs by radiology practices with larger interventional presences, reflects ongoing adoption of such team-based interventional radiology care,” they wrote.
In terms of procedures, NPPs most often billed for thoracentesis and paracentesis. For imaging, fluoroscopic swallow studies and bone densitometry exams were the most frequently billed.
The use of NPPs was most common in the Midwest and the South, with the South claiming more procedural duties and the Midwest NPPs picking up more image interpretation responsibilities.
“The roles of NPPs in radiology practices are controversial and a matter of ongoing professional society policy debate,” Santavicca et al. wrote. “Although such growth could increase patient access to radiology services, the implications on the radiologist workforce and patient outcomes are unknown and merit further investigation.”
The study abstract can be viewed here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.