Running Group Visits in Your Practice

This book provides the reader with an authoritative reference for today's major group visit models: what they are, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they can best be used together and in combination with traditional individual office visits.

A Fateful Meeting A year and a half ago, I was sitting at a conference listening to Ed Noffsinger speak, and suddenly had the most profound ''Aha'' moment of my professional career. Here was someone presenting a practical and tested solution to some of the most challenging problems currently plaguing the US healthcare system, problems such as poor access to primary and specialty care; the uncontainable and rising costs of healthcare; our nation's relatively poor quality outcomes; and finally, the sense of frustration, disempowerment, loneliness, and disenfranchisement that patients and their families too often experience. Dr. Noffsinger's solution seemed deceptively simpleshared medical appointments (SMAs) that afford the highest quality healthcare to be delivered in the highest quality care experiencea group setting. Experience collected over a decade and involving more than 100,000 patient visits throughout the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe has demonstrated that SMAs, when used in primary care as well as in the medical and surgical subspecialties, lead to increased access to care, enhanced quality of care, and improved patient satisfaction. For physicians, the efficiency gains and team support from their participation in SMAs translate into much needed relief and improved career satisfaction.

Dr. Noffsinger is the foremost expert on and inventor of group visit models Only comprehensive reference and implementation guide on the market with regard to group visit models The group visit model is not only of interest to physicians: group visits may shape political and health care policy decisions in the near future

Autorentext
The group visit model, which was developed by Dr. Noffsinger in 1996, has consistently been demonstrated to work in actual practice. Dr. Noffsinger is well regarded in the field of primary care; he has published numerous articles on the the topic--NEJM, Journal of Family Practice, and Journal of the American Board of Family Practice.

Klappentext

With health care costs on the rise, poor access to primary and specialty care, the complexities of the health insurance system and the demands on a physician's time, the traditional model of one-on-one medical visits no longer best serves patients or health care providers. Patient demand is only increasing as the population ages and suffers chronic illnesses, and with too few medical students entering primary care and geriatrics, the health care system's ability to meet that demand is rapidly decreasing. Under this current model, a patient can wait for two hours for a handful of minutes with an exhausted doctor. Frustratingly little discussion or education can take place during such inaccessible and hurried visits.

Dr. Edward B. Noffsinger, a pioneer in group visits and the originator of two of today's three major group visit models, has engineered a potential solution to these imminent and pressing health care challenges. Running Group Visits in Your Practice presents the group visit model as a means to exponentially increase physician productivity while working the same or fewer hours and increasing patient satisfaction. This book explores the history and purpose of current group visit model (most notably the DIGMA and PMSA models, invented by the author more than decade ago), how to implement them in your practice, and how to make them a success for patients and physicians alike. With its groundbreaking theories and friendly, accessible tone, Running Group Visits in Your Practice represents a fascinating solution to some of the biggest problems facing physicians, patients, third party insurers, corporate purchasers, and the United States health care system today.

Rarely does anyone create something that truly alters the way we work. Dr. Edward Noffsinger did just that with the creation of the DIGMA, thereby securing himself and the DIGMA within the annals of health care innovation.

--CharlesM. Kilo, MD, MPH

CEO, GreenField Health

In the midst of the most pressing problems currently facing our overly stressed healthcare system today, Dr. Noffsinger's plan will not only work in our existing health care system, but also help to contain the skyrocketing costs of healthcare today. For those wishing to improve both patient and professional satisfaction, this book is simply a must read.

--George L. Blackburn, MD, PhD
Harvard Medical School

Zusammenfassung
Experience collected over a decade and involving more than 100,000 patient visits throughout the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe has demonstrated that SMAs, when used in primary care as well as in the medical and surgical subspecialties, lead to increased access to care, enhanced quality of care, and improved patient satisfaction.

Inhalt

1. Group Visits: The Next Step in Medical Care.- to Group Visits.- The Drop-In Group Medical Appointment Model: A Revolutionary Access Solution for Follow-Up Visits.- DIGMAs: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Real-Life Examples.- The Cooperative Healthcare Clinic Model: Following the Same Group of Multi-Morbid Geriatric Patients over Time.- The Physicals Shared Medical Appointment Model: A Revolutionary Access Solution for Private Physical Examinations.- Physician Buy-In: The Key to Successful SMA Programs.- A Comprehensive Chronic Illness Treatment Paradigm that Makes Full Use of Group Visits.- Do Not Abuse Group Visits.- Reports, Case Studies, and Outcomes Data.- 2. How to Implement Your Own Group Visit Program.- Twenty Essential Steps to Implementing a Successful Group Visit Program.- A 10-Week Pipeline for Launching New DIGMAs and PSMAs.