Why might the forming of teams be more difficult in primary care settings than in single-specialty physician
Question:
Why might the forming of teams be more difficult in primary care settings than in single-specialty physician offices or other businesses?
Teams are especially needed in primary care. Primary care offices offer many different services, and patients, especially the elderly, can present with multiple diagnoses and be prescribed handfuls of medications. To simplify the delivery of care, some primary care offices have decreased their number of staff and have the physician perform most of the care.
However, this approach is not efficient.
The primary care / general practitioner in the early twentieth century was a solo operator. Carrying his equipment in a black bag, he often treated patients in their homes. Gradually, more patients were treated in an office setting, often by a husband-and-wife team, with the wife serving as receptionist, nurse, billing clerk, and bookkeeper. Later, seeking more efficiencies, nonphysician tasks were segmented into separate positions for nurses, receptionists, medical assistants, billing clerks, radiology technologists, and so on—a pattern found in myriad small practices dotting the United States.
Step by Step Answer:
Organizational Behavior And Theory In Healthcare Leadership Perspectives And Management Applications
ISBN: 9781567938418
1st Edition
Authors: Stephen Walston