Intermountain Healthcare Celebrates APPs

"The Utah Academy of Physician Assistants recognizes the tremendous impact for good made by Intermountain Healthcare’s people.  Celebrate…celebrate!  the APPs this week, October 26-30.   Thank you for your daily efforts to heal and help. 

Respectfully,

Utah Academy of Physician Assistants"

Full Text of the announcement from Intermountain Healthcare

10/24/20

THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK
APPs’ essential role in Intermountain’s sustainable, successful future

Intermountain is following strategic plans to keep healthcare affordable, accessible, and sustainable for all. An important key in our approach to the future is enhanced integration of advanced practice providers (APPs) and their practices. HFM Magazine recently released a case study focused on how APPs are well-positioned to serve more top-of-training functions to support healthcare quality and sustainability, particularly in aiding COVID-19 recovery. The study stressed the importance of utilizing resources we as a healthcare system already have. For years, Intermountain has been moving toward a stronger presence of APPs within our system and on our care teams, and this momentum will continue. As an example, a team-based care approach through the addition of APPs to one of our pulmonology clinics reduced new patient access time from more than six months to within a few weeks.

“Providing consistent high-quality, cost-effective clinical outcomes in complicated healthcare delivery networks is only achievable through collaborative, team-based approaches,” said David Min, MD, Senior Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Program, where APPs have been optimized on well-designed physician and APP teams for many years. “This requires a willingness to transform our medical staff to meet the healthcare needs of our patients and support our workforce. APPs are critical, autonomous team members and leaders in our efforts to deliver excellent clinical care for every patient for every episode. APPs can proactively close gaps in access to care, partner with others in addressing health inequities in our communities, and work cohesively in new healthcare delivery models.”

For Intermountain to thrive in the coming years, we are making vital changes now to prepare for the future. Our physicians and APPs are key to our success. Even with the tumultuous time's COVID has created, relying on our APPs and enhancing APP practices will help keep care costs down, quality up, and access open.

Over the next few months, Intermountain will create plans to fortify and balance care team structures, grow our recruitment strategies to add APP strengths and diversity and reflect lessons learned in 2020. We want to hear your concerns and ideas on how Intermountain can continue to prosper through challenging times. Talk with your clinical leaders about best practices in working together as physicians and APPs. Optimally integrated APPs will be a part of our future achievement at Intermountain, and we are looking forward to the coming years with anticipation.

The week of October 26-30, please join Intermountain in celebrating all of our APPs.
Thank you for your contributions.