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Family physicians are working to make their practices more patient-friendly. To improve access for patients, practices are expanding their hours during the week and offering weekend appointments. Many practices will offer "fast track" programs, where patients are promised that they will be seen by a doctor within 30 minutes of their appointment time. The tradeoff is that there is no guarantee which physician in the practice will see them and they can't tack on other medical issues to the visit. "Patients must focus only on what they came in for and nothing else," says Dr. James King, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Competition helped bring about the new emphasis on improving patient care. Retail clinics are spreading rapidly across the country. Located mostly in pharmacies and other retail establishments, they allow patients to drop in for routine care, usually provided by a nurse practitioner. "This trend is causing primary care to wake up. Why not have the nurse practitioner in your office rather than in the corner drug store?" says Dr. Terry McGeeney, CEO of TransforMED.
Other changes are also coming. They include patient Internet portals, so that patients can log on to see their lab results, check their medical records, request a prescription drug refill, etc. Also, some physicians are testing e-visits, which allow for patients to discuss minor problems like a sore throat with a physician online. If the doctor thinks a personal visit is needed, there no charge for the online consultation. Otherwise, it's about $20.
Group appointments are also being offered. After meeting individually with a physician, groups of five or six patients with chronic conditions like diabetes will meet with a nurse or nutritionist for education and to discuss concerns. "We find that patients are much more likely to open up about their challenges and offer moral support to each other in the group," says McGeeney.
The redesigned office will also focus on increasing efficiency. Practices will increase their use of "physician extenders," such as physician assistants for more routine medical tasks, or the use of other employees in the practice, such as nurses and dieticians so that physicians are freed up for more complicated medical tasks. McGeeny says, "Doctors need to focus on doctor stuff, not looking for Rx samples or running to the copier machine."
There will be a greater use of software that alert physicians of best practices for certain ailments and to help avoid medical errors. Use of technology also will help providers schedule reminders to send out to those with chronic conditions. For example, prompting diabetics about getting their feet and eyes examined.
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