PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rodriguez, Hector P.
AU  - Berube, Alena D.
AU  - Hung, Dorothy Y.
AU  - Shortell, Stephen M.
AU  - Fisher, Elliott S.
TI  - Primary Care Practice Characteristics Associated With Medical Assistant Staffing Ratios
AID  - 10.1370/afm.3100
DP  - 2024 May 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 233--236
VI  - 22
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/22/3/233.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/22/3/233.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2024 May 01; 22
AB  - This study characterized adult primary care medical assistant (MA) staffing. National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (n = 1,252) data were analyzed to examine primary care practice characteristics associated with MA per primary care clinician (PCC) staffing ratios. In 2021, few practices (11.4%) had ratios of 2 or more MAs per PCCs. Compared with system-owned practices, independent (odds ratio [OR] = 1.76, P <0.05) and medical group-owned (OR = 2.09, P <0.05) practices were more likely to have ratios of 2 or more MAs per PCCs, as were practices with organizational cultures oriented to innovation (P <0.05). Most primary care practices do not have adequate MA staffing.