*Purpose: Care for the liver transplant (LT) recipient requires expertise and consistency. Due to the rotation of trainees and the emphasis on surgical experience for residents and fellows, integrating dedicated and specialized Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) is an important and valuable step in advancing the efficacy and efficiency of LT teams. Objectives: 1. Determine if centers are incorporating APPs; 2. Role of transplant APPS; 3. Impact of APPs on the transplant team.

*Methods: Using OPTN and SRTR data, 93 LT centers in the United States performing 25 or more adult LTs in 2020 were identified and contacted to complete an 11 question survey regarding the role and impact of APPs in the program.

*Results: Responses from 75 centers are described in Table 1.

Group A: There were 4 centers with < 5 APPs, 19 centers reported 5-8 APPs, and 8 centers reported 9-18 APPs including 1 center with APPs covering multiple organs. There was 1 institution that did not provide a number.

Group B: There were 15 centers with < 5 APPs, 9 centers reported 5-8 APPs, 4 centers reported 9-15 APPs, and 1 center reported 100 APPs covering multiple organs.

Group C: There was 1 center without APPs, 10 centers reported < 5 APPS, 1 center reported 5-8 APPs, 1 center reported 25 APPs, and 1 center specified use of 4 outpatient APPs and an additional 8 inpatient APPs to cover multi-organs.

The responsibilities assigned to APPs included inpatient and outpatient care, urgent matters, transplant coordinator, administration, and assist in OR and donor procurement. Regarding the setting in which APPs provide the greatest impact, 58% of centers selected inpatient care. The most common barriers to incorporating APPs into the transplant team included insufficient budget and lack of qualified candidates with transplant experience.

*Conclusions: APPs are essential members of multidisciplinary transplant teams and create a positive impact on the quality and efficiency of patient care. The data suggest that APPs may provide the greatest impact on inpatient care and contribute to overall cost containment. However, further correlation of responses to the center’s MELD scores at transplant, other personnel, resources, and barriers to recruiting will be made.

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