Why am I here?

Ah, the why. The favorite word of many 2 and 3 year olds.

The short answer is that I see a need to maximize the time spent with providers while encouraging patients to take control over their own health.

Why?

Because with the increasing amount of patients now seeking primary care providers, there is an influx of patients while the number of providers has not changed. In some cases research shows the number of PCPs is declining. In my practice, I see one patient every 20 minutes. There are 3 slots/hour from 9am until 4:40 pm. I'm still breast-feeding so I have two empty slots every day to pump. I have 19 slots/day. Lets assume most providers in my clinic see 20 patients/day; 100/week. 5,200/year. Many of these are repeat patients but a lot are once-a-year physicals. I work in LA with a population of over 18 million in the Greater Los Angeles area. There are 20 providers at my clinic. We see over 100,000 patients a year, but as you can see with the population, it's a drop in the bucket. Therefore, we have to maximize our time! We have to make the most of the 20 minutes we get with you! Referrals, results, physicals, medication refills, hospital follow-ups, pre-ops.

We need more doctors, PAs and NPs!

The first, and most important IMO, issue is this: Pick (and stick with) a primary care provider!

I know there are extenuating circumstances; a move, change of job, loss of insurance, etc. If you have one PCP, the majority of your records are with them. They know you. It is so much easier to obtain records, make referrals, maintain continuity of care, etc., if you stick with one PCP. By PCP, I mean MD, NP, or PA within the same group. If you can see the same person every time, even better!

If you keep your PCP, so many issues will be alleviated!