Visits for Depression to Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in the US

• Published in: The journal of behavioral health services & research 2018-04, Vol.45 (2), p.310-319
• Main Authors: Keller, Abiola O., Hooker, Roderick S., Jacobs, Elizabeth A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1094-3412; 1556-3308
• DOI: 10.1007/s11414-017-9579-2

Depression is a prevalent condition in the US, and limited access to mental health providers is a significant national public health issue. Use of physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP) to provide depression management could increase access to care for this important problem. Visits for depression to PAs and NPs in ambulatory care were examined using the 2005–2011 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The seven-year data identified that approximately 7 billion visits for depression were evaluated by one of three medical providers (93.3% physician only, 2.9% PA/NP only, 3.9% combined). Overall, PA/NPs were involved in 42 million (6.7%) of depression visits. Some differences in sociodemographic and health characteristics of patients emerged by provider type. Compared to physicians, PA/NP only visits were more likely to be with patients that were from urban areas and patients with public insurance. Patients more likely to be seen by a physician were older and racial and ethnic minorities. Increased use of PAs and NPs may be an important strategy for improving access to depression care.