Nurse-managed primary care: outcomes of a faculty practice network.

Purpose: To describe selected outcomes of nurse-managed primary care in a large faculty practice network (FPN) and to use guidelines proposed by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) to evaluate those outcomes.

Data sources: Mission and goals, nursing control, fiscal stability, health care outcomes, and faculty role integration were examined.

Conclusions: Outcomes show that the FPN directly supports the mission and goals of the East Tennessee State University College of Nursing and is managed by nurse faculty members. The FPN uses earned revenue, grants, and contracts to maintain fiscal stability. Patients are highly satisfied with services, and external and internal audits find the quality of care to be excellent. Students are educated in the centers. Faculty members publish and present research and other scholarly work derived from the FPN.

Implications for practice: This model demonstrates that faculty practice can work, can meet the evaluation components of guidelines of a major national organization, and can contribute to the improvement of health for vulnerable populations.