Physician assistants and nurse practitioners (often referred to as nonphysician practitioners, or NPPs) can be instrumental in helping physician practices speed reimbursements, increase patient satisfaction, and reduce paperwork burdens for doctors. An article on ORTHOPRENEUR, a digital journal, suggests that practices employ the following tips to ensure optimal utilization of these valuable professionals:

• Create accurate job descriptions.
• Research your payer mix and reimbursement rules.
• Coordinate a pre-employment shadowing day before making a formal offer to an NPP.
• Include professional memberships and CME allowance in the offer.
• Market your new NPP just as you would a new physician.
• Provide one-on-one training with physicians during the NPP’s orientation.
• Create patient scheduling policies and protocols for your staff; train the staff on the type of appointments for which NPPs will be utilized.
• Train your NPP on billing and documentation, including coding.