Staff Composition of CPC Practices and Comparison Practices
| Staff Type | CPC Practices,a % | Comparison Practices in 2016, % (N = 358) | Difference CPC vs Comparison Practices in 2016b | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 (N = 461) | 2014 (N = 454) | 2016 (N = 460) | Changec | |||
| Primary care cliniciansd | 100 | 100 | 100 | 0 | NA | NA |
| Physicians | 100 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Primary care physicians (MDs or DOs) | NA | 100 | 99 | –1 | 98 | 1 |
| Specialty physicians | NA | 12 | 12 | 0 | 18 | –6e |
| NPs and PAs | 53 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Do bill under own NPI | NA | 44 | 50 | 5 | 57 | –7e |
| Do not bill under own NPI | NA | 21 | 19 | –2 | 16 | 3 |
| RNs, excluding RN care managers | 35 | 45 | 43 | 8e | 40 | 3 |
| Nutritionists | 4 | 11 | 13 | 9f | 10 | 4 |
| Behavioral health professionals, clinical psychologists, or social workers | NA | 19 | 29 | 10f | 12 | 17f |
| Health educators | 4 | 9 | 9 | 5f | 5 | 4e |
| Care managers/care coordinators who coordinate care for patients in the practice with other providers | 24 | 85 | 84 | 60f | 36 | 48f |
| Community services coordinators who link patients in the practice with available services and resources in the community | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Medical assistants | 90 | 88 | 90 | 0 | 87 | 3 |
| LPNs/LVNs | 47 | 50 | 52 | 5 | 49 | 3 |
| Pharmacists | 8 | 14 | 18 | 10f | 4 | 14f |
| Practice supervisors or practice managers | NA | 91 | 93 | 2 | 87 | 6f |
| Quality improvement specialists | NA | 11 | 18 | 7f | 12 | 6e |
| Physical or respiratory therapists | NA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | –6f |
| Laboratory or radiology technicians | NA | 31 | 33 | 2 | 38 | –5 |
| Health information technologists or EHR specialists | NA | 16 | 18 | 2 | 11 | 7f |
| Administrative staff (reception, medical records, appointment, finance, etc.) | 99 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Receptionists | NA | 95 | 96 | 0 | 92 | 4e |
| Accountants or financial managers | NA | 13 | 17 | 4g | 19 | –1 |
| Staff who work in billing, coding, administrative assistance, medical records, payroll, data entry or analysis, or network administration | NA | 51 | 53 | 2 | 56 | –3 |
| Other | NA | 21 | 22 | 1 | 10 | 12f |
CMS = Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; CPC = Comprehensive Primary Care; DO = Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine; EHR = electronic health record; LPN = licensed practical nurse; LVN = licensed vocational nurse; MD = Doctor of Medicine; NA = not applicable because survey did not ask about that staff type; NP = nurse practitioner; NPI = National Provider Identifier; PA = physician assistant; RN = registered nurse.
Notes: Sample is restricted to the 461 CPC practices that responded to the 2012, 2014, and 2016 surveys. Data are from CPC practice surveys administered October through December 2012, April through July 2014, and April through August 2016.
↵a Sample restricted to the 461 CPC practices that responded to each survey wave; because not all practices answered each question, sample size varies over time.
↵b Difference between CPC and comparison practices in percentage points, calculated using regression models that controlled for multiple factors and applied weights to comparison practices that were equal to the product of a matching weight and a nonresponse weight. See Methods for details.
↵c Difference between 2012 (or 2014) and 2016 in percentage points.
↵d Includes primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who can bill under their own NPI as reported on roster files to CMS. Practices reported this information to CMS each month; numbers for this analysis come from the roster files reported in November of the corresponding year.
↵e Change over time was statistically different from zero at the P =.05 level, 2-tailed t test.
↵f Change over time was statistically different from zero at the P =.01 level, 2-tailed t test.
↵g Change over time was statistically different from zero at the P =.10 level, 2-tailed t test.