ABSTRACT
Physician assistants and nurse practitioners often work as providers, managing a practice of their own patients and visits. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners also work as extenders for a physician. Extenders practice with a physician in order to extend or increase a physician’s capacity to see and manage more patients. There are different ways physicians and their extenders may operate together. Some physician extender teams divide patient care equally between them and may literally have patients alternate subsequent visits between each provider. In this method, both provider and extender remain equally engaged with all patients. In other models, extenders might be assigned the responsibility to manage care for the patients with Same Day acute needs, physicals and basic routine follow-up care while the physician manages New Patient visits and more complex follow-up care.
