What is a shared medical appointment?
A shared medical appointment, also known as a group visit, is when multiple patients are seen as a group for follow-up or routine care. These visits are voluntary for patients and provide a secure but interactive setting in which patients have improved access to their physicians, the benefit of counseling with additional members of a health care team (for example, a behaviorist, nutritionist, or health educator), and can share experiences and advice with one another.
Goals of this chapter:
Group Visits (Shared Medical Appointments)
Introduction
- To provide a thorough understanding of the use of shared medical appointments and allow you to ascertain feasibility of using group visits in your practice.
- To provide you with the necessary resources to guide you through the implementation process.
Who benefits from this type of program?
Shared medical appointments can be satisfying to both the physician and the patient. They can offer an increase in the productivity and efficiency of the health care team and can enhance the patient's visit by offering a holistic and therapeutic approach.
Group visits are generally most appropriate for:
Shared medical appointments can be satisfying to both the physician and the patient. They can offer an increase in the productivity and efficiency of the health care team and can enhance the patient's visit by offering a holistic and therapeutic approach.
Group visits are generally most appropriate for:
- Patients needing routine follow-up care.
- Stable, chronically ill patients requiring total mind/body care.
- Patients who typically require more time with their physician.
- Patients who come for frequent return visits.
- Patients with extensive emotional, informational, or psychosocial needs.
- The "worried well."
Why do they work?
There are a number of factors that can contribute to the success of group visits. Shared medical appointments:
There are a number of factors that can contribute to the success of group visits. Shared medical appointments:
- Instill hope in patients by allowing them to see examples of success in managing a health issue.
- Add universality by disconfirming the uniqueness felt by patients regarding their conditions and/or health issues.
- Impart information and allay patient anxiety.
- Encourage an unselfish regard for the welfare of others.
- Promote imitative behavior and allow for positive role modeling among patient peers.
- Offer interpersonal and cognitive learning within the group setting.
- Provide group cohesiveness where peers can offer support among themselves.
Are all shared medical appointments created equal?
Not necessarily. Three general models for the shared medical appointment exist: the cooperative health care clinic (CHCC), created for older patients requiring frequent, broad-spectrum care; the disease-specific CHCC, a diagnostically exclusive group that aids patients with chronic-disease management; and the drop-in group medical appointment (DIGMA), intended for established patients needing a more comprehensive approach to their follow-up care. There are, however, an almost infinite number of variations of shared medical appointments that a care team may choose to incorporate into their practice, depending on the patient population they serve. A comparison table of the shared medical appointments is available at the link below.
Not necessarily. Three general models for the shared medical appointment exist: the cooperative health care clinic (CHCC), created for older patients requiring frequent, broad-spectrum care; the disease-specific CHCC, a diagnostically exclusive group that aids patients with chronic-disease management; and the drop-in group medical appointment (DIGMA), intended for established patients needing a more comprehensive approach to their follow-up care. There are, however, an almost infinite number of variations of shared medical appointments that a care team may choose to incorporate into their practice, depending on the patient population they serve. A comparison table of the shared medical appointments is available at the link below.
These three types of shared medical appointments have some common features. These group visits are:
- Voluntary
- Interactive
- Care delivery systems - NOT classes
- Intended to enlist and validate patients as their own caregivers
- Efficient and effective
Are shared medical appointments right for every practice?
Not always. Physicians who fall into the following categories should carefully consider whether the group-visit model makes sense for their practice:
Not always. Physicians who fall into the following categories should carefully consider whether the group-visit model makes sense for their practice:
- Physicians lacking adequate resources (time, staff, funding, space, etc.) needed to run the program.
- Physicians with small practices.*
- Physicians with few or no access problems.*
- Physicians who practice half-time or less.*
*These physicians may have trouble maintaining an ideal census that maximizes the program's efficiency.
How does my practice start a program for shared medical appointments?
It may seem like getting a shared medical appointment program off the ground is an insurmountable task. While it takes work and dedication, sufficiently preparing for and planning your program can help you avoid potential pitfalls and put you on the pathway to success.
Go to the Preparation section.
It may seem like getting a shared medical appointment program off the ground is an insurmountable task. While it takes work and dedication, sufficiently preparing for and planning your program can help you avoid potential pitfalls and put you on the pathway to success.
Go to the Preparation section.
