Physician Practice Patterns in Nursing Homes

This review of the literature describes models of physician practice in nursing homes including the barriers to increasing physician workforce in nursing homes and the impact of various physician practice models on quality of care in nursing homes. Traditional nursing home practice is first described followed by a review of the literature pertaining to nurse practitioners and physician assistants in nursing home practices, closed staffing models, managed care, and nursing home specialist models. Literature describing barriers to increasing the physician workforce in nursing homes is then presented including training, reimbursement, and malpractice insurance for physicians who work in nursing homes. Finally, the impact of physician practice models on quality of care is reviewed with a focus on frequency of visits, hospitalizations, cost-effectiveness, communication, and patient satisfaction.