Empower every member of your care team to maximize performance
See how we helped a large academic medical center improve the practice and utilization of its critical APP workforce
Advancing the performance of advanced practice providers has become a strategic imperative for leading health systems striving to enhance patient access, strengthen care team alignment, and support a rapidly evolving clinical workforce. This case study highlights how a large academic medical center with more than 700 APPs partnered with SullivanCotter to address widespread variation in APP practice, clarify care team roles, and improve engagement across key specialties.
Through a structured, collaborative redesign of the APP care model, the organization achieved significant gains in utilization, efficiency, and workforce stability – demonstrating the transformative impact of optimizing practice at scale.
What were this system’s challenges, how did we approach them, and what was the outcome?
CHALLENGES
- Variation in APP practice within clinical departments and throughout system
- Unengaged workforce not practicing at top of license, scope or education
- Misalignment and lack of clarity in care team roles
- High APP turnover
- Patient access limitations
APPROACH
- Focused on Hospital Medicine, Oncology, and Cardiology specialties based on readiness for change
- Developed a collaborative physician/APP care model to maximize APP utilization and improve patient access
- Established standard APP work expectations across specialties and practices
- Targeted APP compensation increases in specialties with below-market compensation and high turnover
OUTCOMES
- Patient access improved by nearly 10%
- APP encounters for inpatient team grew by 500%
- Hospital Medicine APPs increased critical care billing by 100%
- Aligned care team roles and performance based on standard expectations
- APP turnover decreased due to higher engagement and ability to practice at top of license
The system is currently expanding this work across other specialties.
Need to unlock the full potential of your APP workforce?
Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) operate within some of the most complex environments in health care, balancing their tripartite missions of education, research, and patient care while adapting to unprecedented pressures.
As they work to redesign care delivery and optimize limited resources, AMCs must thoughtfully structure and support key clinicians – including the growing APP workforce.
Leveraging deep experience with leading AMCs and access to real-time market intelligence, SullivanCotter provides specialized insights and data-driven strategies that help organizations strengthen workforce performance and advance their mission.
