Barton Closes The Year Up 70%

Barton Closes The Year Up 70%

Barton Associates, a national nurse practitioner and physician locum tenens staffing company, announces a 70% increase in temporary nurse practitioner staffing volume in 2011 and prepares to meet 2012 demand in the NP staffing market.

The Barton Associates locum tenens (temporary) nurse practitioner staffing group experienced a substantial increase in volume in 2011. Barton's NP staffing group, which serves healthcare facilities and practices nationwide, expects this trend to continue into 2012 and beyond as nurse practitioners continue to serve an increasingly critical role in the U.S. healthcare system.

Barton's NP staffing group improved on three key performance indicators in 2011. Locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing requests from medical facilities and practices increased by 71% between Q1 and Q4 2011. Barton's network of locum tenens nurse practitioners also grew by 82% between Q1 and Q4 2011. In addition, the average length of each temporary NP assignment increased significantly in 2011 when compared to 2010.

Barton Associates forecasts growth in the locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing sector to continue in 2012 and beyond due to a wide variety of factors. The primary driver will be the U.S. primary care physician shortage, expected to peak in 2020. Nurse practitioners are well suited to help mitigate the effects of this shortage and are an attractive option for short-staffed primary care practices. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, scheduled to become fully effective in 2014, is expected to dramatically increase demand for primary care services. In light of the primary care physician shortage, nurse practitioners will be relied upon to help primary care practices manage this demand.

In addition, nurse practitioners in general are able to perform many of the functions of a primary care doctor and are increasingly seen as a cost effective, viable alternative to an MD by many medical facilities and practices. Furthermore, increasingly popular retail health clinics, such as CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic, are typically staffed, all or in part, by nurse practitioners, further increasing demand.

With increased demand for NPs imminent, Barton Associates is taking the steps needed to grow with the nurse practitioner staffing market.

Barton Associates plans to hire additional account management and recruiting staff in 2012 to better serve nurse practitioners interested in locum jobs and short-staffed health care facilities and practices. Barton will also seek to solidify its position as a leading NP locum tenens staffing agency through comprehensive training programs on the market for recruiters and account managers.

Barton Associates also intends to enhancetraditional and mobile web tools in 2012 in order to make the locum tenens staffing process as fast and efficient as possible for NPs and short-staffed healthcare practices. In addition, Barton Associates established a New License Assistance Program in 2011 that can pay for new state licenses for nurse practitioners. Barton will expand this program in 2012 in order to continue effectively serving medical practices in need of coverage and open the door to new nurse practitioner job opportunities for NPs nationwide.

Barton Associates is committed to being a leader in the locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing industry and to providing high quality, fast, and efficientservices throughout the United States.

Barton Associates is a leading national locum tenens staffing firm serving physicians, nurse practitioners, and medical facilities and practices across the U.S. from offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Florida.