Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

15 minutes aren’t enough for a primary care visit

DrizzleMD
Physician
January 9, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

Have you bought a new memory foam mattress recently? Many come vacuumed in shrink bags. Once air gets in the bag, the mattress expands to its normal size. It is fascinating to watch how they expand.

It is not so fascinating to watch a patient expand to their actual size, when they are forcefully squeezed into an enclosed time space like an office appointment.

Patients are shrunk to fit a 15-minute slot on the schedule. It looks very tidy on paper. They are nicely organized in uniform slots until you rip off the bags and overflow happens.

15 minutes is short. It is sure enough for some, but for the more complex than average patients, it is not. The latter is more of the norm in my practice, and probably yours as well.

Many times those “15 minutes” are followed by countless non-billable minutes spent on charting and paperwork after clinic hours that erode into time with loved ones, exercise, hobbies and much-needed rest.

Assume for a moment that doctors are supposed to be the embodiment of sacrifice. Self-sacrifice for the sake of a patient’s well-being would sure be in line with that calling. What hurts, however, is the unnecessary suffering we have to go through that, in the end, does not benefit anyone.

This particularly plagues primary care, where high volumes are needed factory-style to make economical sense in the current reimbursement system. The system doesn’t do justice to us, dedicated physicians and other providers who idealize relationship-based, personalized medicine. Nor does it do justice to patients who need primary care the most, and are not in the office for a new job physical, for a cold or urinary tract infection.

We should start valuing quality primary care for what it is worth. For how it empowers patients to make the right changes, how it prevents unnecessary urgent care or emergency department visits, hospitalizations, referrals, and diagnostics, but also how it allows doctors to live up to their calling without undue suffering.

Is direct primary care the answer? Maybe.

As far as I know, you cannot reconcile quality care and “shrink-bagged” patients.

“DrizzleMD” is an internal medicine physician who blogs at his self-titled site, Drizzle MD.

Image credit: DrizzleMD

Prev

A physician's love-hate relationship with dividends. And what he does about it.

January 9, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

A physician lurked on Facebook mom groups. Here's what she found.

January 9, 2018 Kevin 23
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A physician's love-hate relationship with dividends. And what he does about it.
Next Post >
A physician lurked on Facebook mom groups. Here's what she found.

ADVERTISEMENT

More by DrizzleMD

  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • 10 rules to keep physicians on time

    DrizzleMD
  • We figured this could boost your productivity

    DrizzleMD

Related Posts

  • Primary Care First: CMS develops a value-based primary care program for independent practices

    Robert Colton, MD
  • Primary care makes a difference for patients and the nation

    Glen R. Stream, MD
  • The many benefits of strengthening the primary care workforce

    Nicole Liner-Jigamian, MSW
  • Primary care faces a very difficult winter

    Ken Terry
  • The biggest health care fix: a relentless focus on primary care

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • The hidden work of primary care

    Michelle Nall, MPH, ANP-BC

More in Physician

  • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

    Dr. Daryna Bahriy
  • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Why more doctors are choosing direct care over traditional health care

    Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA
  • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

    Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

      Dr. Daryna Bahriy | Physician
    • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

      William J. Bannon IV | Conditions
    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 14 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

      Dr. Daryna Bahriy | Physician
    • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

      William J. Bannon IV | Conditions
    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

15 minutes aren’t enough for a primary care visit
14 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...