INQRI Brief: Non-Physicians Can Address Primary Care Shortage

A pending primary care shortage may be best addressed by implementing promising strategies that fully utilize non-physician health care professionals in new systems of care, according to a new research brief co-authored by INQRI Co-Directors Mary Naylor and Mark Pauly with Janet Weiner.

With approximately 30 million people expected to gain coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), demands on primary care services will no doubt grow. The brief, Primary Care Shortages: It’s More Than Just a Head Count, examines how the ACA will affect the delivery of primary care, and reviews recent research on the primary care shortage and possible strategies to address it.

The brief outlines several strategies that show promise for addressing these demands. Among them is ACA’s investments in health professional education and training to increase the number of primary care providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Other models, like retail clinics could ensure that more people can access primary care services, particularly in rural areas.

Ultimately, allowing health care providers to practice to the full extent of their education and training is central to increasing access to primary care, the authors write.

An article on the brief from RWJF’s December 2014 Sharing Nursing’s Knowledge is available here.

INQRI’s Mark Pauly Co-Authors New Study on Dual MBA/MD Degrees

Physicians who have both doctor of medicine (MD) and master of business administration (MBA) degrees reported that their dual training had a positive professional impact, according to a new study co-authored by INQRI co-director Mark V. Pauly. The study was published online by Academic Medicine and is one of the first to assess MD/MBA graduates’ perceptions of how their training has affected their careers. It focuses on physician graduates from the MBA program in health care management at the University of Pennsylvania.

The MD was more often cited as conveying professional credibility, while 40 to 50 percent of respondents said the MBA conveyed leadership, management, and business skills. Respondents also cited multidisciplinary experience and improved communication between the medical and business worlds as benefits of the two degrees.

The study’s authors also include David A. Asch, co-director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania and Clinical Scholar Mitesh S. Patel, who was quoted in a statement:

“A study published in 2009 found that among 6,500 hospitals in the United States, only 235 were run by physicians. Moving forward, changing dynamics triggered by national health care reform will likely require leaders to have a better balance between clinical care and business savvy. Graduates with MD and MBA training could potentially fill this growing need within the sector.”

Read the study, “The Role of MD and MBA Training in the Professional Development of a Physician: A Survey of 30 Years of Graduates From the Wharton Health Care Management Program,” which will also be published in the September issue of Academic Medicine.

The study was also covered on the RWJF Human Capital Blog.

Reflections on INQRI's Work - A Video Presented At Last Week's 2012 National Conference

As many of you know, or may have attended, the INQRI Program held our National Conference last week in Washington, DC. We had the pleasure of engaging the 160+ participants with panels discussing the many facets of INQRI grantees' work. One of the most talked about sessions of the conference was the introductory section, which included a video reflecting on the work of INQRI since its inception 7 years ago. The video is embedded below.



If you are looking for more resources related to the INQRI program's work you can visit our BRAND NEW website that contains a variety of videos, documents, as well as general information about the INQRI program and the grantees we have served over the years.

INQRI Program Co-Director Awarded The William B. Graham Prize

We are pleased to share with all of you that Mark Pauly, Ph.D., INQRI's Co-Director, has been named the 2012 winner of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. Dr. Pauly follows a long line of distinguished recipients of this award including former CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick; AHRQ Director, Carolyn Clancy; and INQRI NAC member, Dr. Linda Aiken. The award program is funded by the Baxter International Foundation, administered by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) and is considered to be one of the most prestigious and highly regarded recognitions a health services researcher can receive.

Please join all of us at the INQRI Program in congratulating Dr. Pauly on such a wonderful achievement.

To learn more about the William B. Graham Prize, click here.