Importance of Advanced Practice Providers in Emerging Leadership Roles

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this article is to review current Advance Practice Provider leadership models, the role of Advanced Practice Providers, effective leadership and its impact on quality of care, and how that translates to developing leadership and administrative structure in healthcare organizations. The article will demonstrate that APPs in leadership roles can improve healthcare delivery, patient outcomes, and the overall healthcare system stability. Methods This is an evidence-based literature review article that includes data on effective leadership styles, nursing leadership models, APPs in leadership roles and excludes research that does not address effective leadership within healthcare. Fourteen pertinent articles were retrieved and served as the basis for this clinical review. No review protocol exists. No funding was provided for the development of this manuscript. Results There is evidence that supports positive outcomes with the utilization of nurses in leadership roles which could translate to APPs as the workforce continues to rise in light of physician shortage, aging population. Evidence demonstrates that both Physician Assistants (PA) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are imperative in bidirectional communication within healthcare systems. Utilizing NPs and PAs in not only clinical roles but administrative and leadership roles would not only benefit patient outcomes but employee retention and the overall stability of healthcare systems. Conclusion Continued research and support from physicians and hospital administration is needed to establish a consistently positive impact of PAs and NPs in leadership roles on the overall healthcare system, including access to care, organization cost reduction, employee recruitment retention, and patient outcomes. Healthcare organizations should create structured APP leadership models that include input from compliance, EMR, and administrative teams to effectively assess, evaluate, and implement new tactics to optimize continuing education, onboarding, compliance, documentation, billing, collections, and patient outcomes. Keywords: Physician Assistant, Leadership, Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Outcomes, retention, turnover, healthcare system