Continuity and Access in the Era of Part-Time Practice

The Article in Brief

Continuity and Access in the Era of Part-Time Practice

Thomas Bodenheimer , and colleagues

Background As an increasing number of physicians opt for part-time practice--in some cases a response to stress and burnout--three physicians propose strategies to ensure that continuity and access remain part of the foundation of primary care.

What This Study Found Strategies include the following: design part-time work schedules to maximize physician availability to patients (e.g., more half days rather than fewer full days); require part-time physicians to respond to important electronic messages from patients and practice staff daily; ensure that staff can reach physicians with important patient questions on non-clinical days; establish job-sharing, in which a full patient panel is shared by two part-time physicians or a part-time physician and nurse practitioner/physician assistant; educate patients about how to maximize continuity of care; and retain physicians by allowing benefits for working fewer clinical hours. In addition to focusing on continuity and access, the authors note, it is vital that part-time physicians remain attentive to patients' desire for a trusting therapeutic relationship.

Implications

• Although part-time practice can affect access and continuity, physicians in part-time practice are often less burned out than those in full-time practice, which may translate into higher quality of care and greater patient satisfaction.