PAs and NPs improve patient care and productivity in a radiology consult practice.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effects on efficiency and patient care of the addition of physician assistants (PAs) and NPs to the abdominal radiology consult service. METHODS:We obtained radiologist productivity and patient care metrics for 3 months before and 3 months after the integration of PAs and NPs into our consult service. RESULTS:Integrating PAs and NPs into the workflow led to a significant increase in mean RVUs/shift (15.2 ± 0.9 versus 6.2 ± 1.8; P = .02), number of studies read per shift (10.1 ± 0.5 versus 4.4 ± 1.5; P = .003), revenue per shift hour ($756.20 ± $55.40 versus $335.40 ± $132.60; P = .007), protocol prescription to patient appointment lead time (39.3 ± 6.7 versus 16.3 ± 2.9 days; P = .005), and significant decreases in mean CT (19.3% ± 0.6 versus 3.3% ± 0.6; P = .001) and MRI (11.7% ± 0.6 versus 8.3% ± 0.12; P = .011) same-day protocol changes as patient appointments. CONCLUSIONS:PAs and NPs can be effectively integrated into abdominal radiology consult service, increasing the productivity of radiologists, and enhancing clinical care.