The past few years have propelled nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) into the spotlight. With widespread physician and caregiver shortages nationwide, burnout and lingering pandemic-related issues, NPs and PAs are leading the charge in healthcare. This dedicated, resilient, and talented group of professionals are devoted caregivers who are working hard to advance patient care across health systems. Five key insights and developments happened in 2022 to accelerate the growth of this rapidly expanding field of medical professionals.
1. NP and PA Career Growth
NPs and PAs saw substantial growth in 2022, with NPs topping the list of healthcare job search engagements for the first time in 27 years, underscoring the accelerating demand for these professionals.
NPs and PAs are the fastest growing sector of healthcare professionals according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. NP career growth is expected to increase by 46% and PAs by 31% over the next nine years, adding an additional 151,100 people to the workforce by 2031. In 2022, NPs and PAs saw an increase in their average starting salaries at 12% and 14%, respectively.
With 355,000 licensed NPs and 158,470 PAs, there are now 513,470 licensed advanced practice providers (APPs) in the U.S. That equals more than half of the number of physicians in patient care, which totals 995,958. This is in part due to the declining prevalence of medical doctors. The projected physician shortage may be as high as 125,000 in primary care and many specialties. It’s likely that NPs and PAs will increasingly fill these gaps.
2. NPs and PAs Remain a Key Prescribing Group
Nine out of 10 NPs and PAs say they have the power to make autonomous treatment decisions, and 79% say they influence the physicians in their practices. NPs and PAs are clinical in nature but holistic in their approach. They cultivate deep relationships with their patients, and they want to keep up to date on the latest information in order to provide the best care for their patients.
In 2022, NPs and PAs accounted for 1.17 billion unique prescriptions based on POCN’s TotalOfficeTM Data and TrueRxTM proprietary Rx attribution algorithms, which translates to 2,281 prescriptions per prescriber between October 2021 and September 2022. This amount equals 29% of all retail prescriptions, underscoring how important it is for life sciences companies to connect with this key APP group. Consider that in comparison to the 919,326 prescribing physicians in patient care that accounted for 2.85 billion prescriptions or 3,116 prescriptions per prescriber.
3. More States Are Expanding the Scope of Care for NPs and PAs
More states have expanded the practice autonomy and scope of practice for PAs and NPs. PAs have adaptable supervision requirements in about 34 states, which varies by state and employer type. Iowa and Minnesota increased autonomy in May 2022 and Oregon has pending legislation that would allow increased autonomy.
There are 26 states where NPs can practice independently. NPs in New York were granted full practice authority in April 2022. California NPs began operating with full authority in January 2023.
4. Legislation that Would Improve Care and Access to Nurses
The Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) legislation introduced in the House in September 2022 and the Senate in December 2022 would increase healthcare access, improve quality of care, and reduce costs for Medicare and Medicaid patients by eliminating outdated barriers to care and expanding authority for advanced practitioners. It would broaden the scope of authority for APPs in a variety of ways including the ability to order and supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, certify the need of diabetic patients to get therapeutic shoes, refer patients for medicinal nutrition therapy, and more.
5. The APRN Compact Comes Closer to Fruition
The APRN Compact will allow an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to hold one multistate license with a privilege to practice in other compact states. When seven states have enacted the legislation, it will be implemented. It was enacted by North Dakota and Delaware in 2021 and by Utah in 2022. New York has pending legislation that, if passed, would indicate that only three additional states would need to enact the legislation for the APRN Compact to be implemented
The APRN Compact would allow for greater patient access to care, more choice for patients and APRNs, and better emergency response to public health declarations and potential pandemics from emerging infectious diseases.
The Opportunity for Marketers
NPs and PAs can be identified and engaged based on their patient panel (Dx and Rx), local and regional peer communities, and personal preferences to deliver branded and disease-related information in multi/omni-channel formats. This key group of medical professionals working in primary care and specialty care say they want to be directly engaged by marketers with educational information, studies, and marketing that is relevant to their specialty area. Based on POCN survey results, NPs and PAs have said that they prefer to learn about pharmaceutical products, treatment guidelines, and medical news through clinical journals, live events (including symposia, conferences, and dinner meetings) as well as through email and from their peer colleagues.
Marketers can take a three-step approach to create an intentional strategy to engage this audience.
1. Check the data: NPs and PAs are often excluded from targeting plans due to a lack of data or analysis that shows their true prescribing power. Marketers can look for data to understand the providers who are prescribing a particular product, where they are located, and how many prescriptions they are responsible for.
2. Know your audience: It’s important to tailor insights, programs, and ad boards specifically for NPs and PAs in order to reach them. When developing your content, remember APPs are clinical in nature. Sharing information about the efficacy and safety of your product will resonate with them. NPs and PAs treat holistically. They are connected to their patients and are interested in product costs, whether their patient can afford the medication or product, side effects, and how the medication or product will impact a patient’s quality of life. They also want the product to be easy to prescribe. APPs tend to handle patient paperwork, so ensuring a product is easy to access is important to them.
3. Intentionally and directly engage: NPs and PAs know when you’re focusing on them directly. Create an engagement strategy that includes a variety of opportunities such as in person, peer to peer, email, display, and digital engagement. Include NP and PA thought leaders in your messaging, just as you would a physician.
It’s important for marketers to understand how important and influential NPs and PAs are in healthcare. Following the suggestions in each of these steps will help you develop a strategy to effectively reach this group of providers using targeted, custom campaigns, and educational opportunities that are more effective than communicating using one-size-fits-all materials that aren’t tailored to a provider’s unique specialty area.
