Efficiency and Cost of Primary Care by Nurses and Physician Assistants
Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm197802092980604Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Greenfield, S, A.L. Komaroff, T.M. Pass, H. Anderson, and S. Nessim. 1978. "Efficiency and Cost of Primary Care by Nurses and Physician Assistants." New England Journal of Medicine.; 298(6):305-9. PMID: 23495.Abstract
We conducted a prospective study in a prepaid primary-care practice (health-maintenance organization) of a system in which nurses and physician assistants used protocols, and compared the efficiency and costs of this "new-health-practitioner" protocol system to a physician-only nonprotocol system. In five months, we studied 472 patients with any of four common acute complaints — respiratory infections, urinary and vaginal infections, headache, and abdominal pain; a subset of 203 patients was randomly allocated between the two systems. In the new-health-practitioner system physician time per patient was reduced by 92 per cent, from 11.8 to 0.9 minutes, and average visit costs — including practitioner time and charges for laboratory tests and medications — were 20 per cent less (P = 0.01). We conclude that this protocol system saves physician time and reduces costs. (N Engl J Med 298:305–309, 1978)Terms of Use
This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#LAACitable link to this page
https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37367070
Collections
- HMS Scholarly Articles [17922]
Contact administrator regarding this item (to report mistakes or request changes)