Saving Office Practice

Editorials5 August 2003Saving Office PracticeHarold C. Sox, MD, EditorHarold C. Sox, MD, EditorSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-3-200308050-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail This editorial is about the office practice of adult medicine. Office practice has been hurting for at least a decade. Medical students are taking notice, and more of them are choosing clinical specialties in which office practice plays a relatively small role. Leaders of internal medicine and family practice are concerned (1) but are uncertain about how to facilitate the change that must occur in individual practices scattered over a large and diverse country. An analysis of all of the problems confronting office practice isn't suitable for a brief essay, so I focus on a specific piece of the problem: ...References1. Showstack J, Sox HC, eds. The future of primary care. Ann Intern Med. 2003; 138(part 2):241-72. Google Scholar2. Reed M, Ginsburg P. Behind the Times: Physician Income 1995-99. Center for Studying Health System Change. Data Bulletin. March 2003; no. 24. Google Scholar3. Trude S. So much to do, so little time: physician capacity constraints, 1997-2001. Center for Studying Health System Change. Tracking Report. May 2003; no. 8. Google Scholar4. 2001 Patient Care Physician Survey. Physician Socioeconomic Statistics. Chicago: American Medical Assoc; 2003. Google Scholar5. Medical Group Management Association. Cost Survey: 2002 Report Based on 2001 Data. Salary costs in 2001. Accessed at www.mgma.com/surveys on 25 Google Scholar6. Center for Studying Health System Change. Community Tracking Study Physician Survey. Accessed at ctsonline.s-3.com/psurvey.asp on 21 May 2003. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Corresponding Author: Customer Service, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSaving Office Practice Alan R. Ertle Saving Office Practice Scott Matthew Bolhack Saving Office Practice Peter Basch Saving Office Practice Harold C. Sox Metrics Cited byDiversification by the Audit Office and Its Impact on Audit QualitySaving Office PracticeAlan R. Ertle, MD, MPH, MBASaving Office PracticeScott Matthew Bolhack, MDSaving Office PracticePeter Basch, MDDissatisfaction with Medical Practice 5 August 2003Volume 139, Issue 3Page: 227-228KeywordsElectronic medical recordsHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability ActHealth careHealth care utilizationInformation technologyPatient advocacyPatientsPrimary care physiciansResearch designRunning ePublished: 5 August 2003 Issue Published: 5 August 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...