PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Is there a Doctor in the Team? The Use of Primary Care Teams

A recent article from U.S. News discussed the development of primary care teams, rather than individual doctors, for treating patients.

2011-01-04
January 04, 2011 (Press-News.org) A recent article from U.S. News discussed the development of primary care teams, rather than individual doctors, for treating patients.

According to the story, "team" is a relatively new concept in family medicine. The writer tells of a colleague who told him, only half in jest, "My definition of good teamwork is that when I tell my office nurse to do something, he or she does it."

The concept is to examine the many elements of a visit to a doctor and change who does some of the information gathering and even some of the selection of treatments. Some medical practices are instituting systems where primary care teams delegate responsibilities so that each staff member does only what he or she is trained to do, rather than wasting time and energy of a doctor on more basic tasks that can be performed by those with less training.

This means screening tests and lifestyle counseling needs can be handled by nurses or aides, rather than solely by the doctor. This can have advantages for the patients, who can spend more time discussing their health issues with nurses or medical assistants than they might have with a time-strapped doctor.

In the best case scenario, the other members of the staff can prepare this information for the doctor, the doctor, when meeting with the patient, can focus on the actual medical questions the patient has, and better answer their concerns.

Better for Whom? Patients or the Bottom Line?

The unstated question behind all of this is whether it is used to spread doctors even more thinly among patients. Some practices see it as a way of improving the performance of doctors, by redirecting tasks appropriate for the training of other members of the staff. For some, the incentive will be increase the volume of traffic through the office.

With the new health care law creating an increased demand for primary care doctors, the existing shortage of some doctors could become worse. In states like California and Massachusetts, where universal health care has been put in place, the article reports there has already been severe shortages of pediatricians, family physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists.

If the system allows doctors to be more efficient, it is all well and good, but one can easily imagine in a world controlled by large insurance companies where doctors are required to see ever-higher numbers of patients.

Just as patients' bodies, when under stress, are more likely to be subject to illness, so to, a medical practice stretched to its limits, mistakes become more likely. Unfortunately, mistakes mean patients health and potentially their lives.

It is easy to speak of "efficiency" as if it were synonymous with "better." Nevertheless, efficiency always has a price. When it comes to health care, that price is often paid by the patient. And, potentially, the doctor's malpractice insurance.

While team doctoring has potential to increase efficiency for the medical practice, the same concerns for patients remain. Increased handoffs and less time with the doctor may not mean patients are receiving a lower level of care, but patients need to be ever vigilant.

If you believe some treatment seems inappropriate, or you suffer injuries as a result a visit to your doctor, you may want to discuss the matter with an attorney, who can help assess the situation and determine if the facts describe a viable malpractice case.

Article provided by Novak, Robenalt & Pavlik, L.L.P
Visit us at www.nrplaw.com


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Allegheny County Generates Waiting List for Monitoring Anklets

2011-01-04
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that waiting lists for electronic monitoring devices in Allegheny County have increased to over 900 persons. The electronic devices in the form of a black plastic anklet allow probation officers to monitor the whereabouts of the persons convicted of minor criminal offenses. The County owns 1,200 of the devices, and tries to turn around a unit the same day it is returned, but the waiting list is still at 925. This is due to the courts instituting a program this year that expedited minor criminal cases in the system. The process has ...

Simpsonville Hotel Near Bi-Lo Center Provides Close Lodging to Fans Attending Greenville Road Warriors Games

Simpsonville Hotel Near Bi-Lo Center Provides Close Lodging to Fans Attending Greenville Road Warriors Games
2011-01-04
Holiday Inn Express Simpsonville Hotel offers close lodging to hockey fans attending Greenville Road Warriors Games at Bi-Lo Center in downtown Greenville. The Greenville Road Warriors are a professional mid-level ice hockey team. They are members of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), a Premier "AA" league. Upcoming home Road Warriors games include: - Thursday, January 6 verse the Gwinnett Gladiators - Thursday, January 13 verse the Everblades - Friday, January 14 verse the Gladiators - Saturday, January 15 and January 17 verse the Wings "We are a great lodging ...

Perimeter Hotel in Atlanta Provides Nearby Lodging to Travelers Attending Blue Man Group at Fox Theatre

2011-01-04
Sheraton Atlanta Perimeter Hotel North, located in Atlanta, GA, offers convenient lodging to travelers in town for the Blue Man Group show, presented by Theater of the Stars. Performances will take place from January 18 through 23, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in midtown Atlanta. Blue Man Group is a unique form of entertainment that combines music, comedy, and multimedia theatrics. Since originating in 1987, Blue Man Group has played in venues around the world including performances in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Japan, Berlin, and Zurich. The show features ...

Atlanta Airport Hotel Near Fox Theatre Offers Accommodations to Guests Attending Disney's Beauty and the Beast

2011-01-04
The Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North) offers nearby lodging to guests attending the hit Broadway Musical Tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Performances will take place from January 12 through 16, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in midtown Atlanta. The musical features the animated film's Academy Award -winning score with music and/or lyrics by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice. Disney's Beauty and the Beast is based on the classic French fairy tale. Set in 18th Century France, Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a young woman named Belle and ...

Scottsboro Hotel in Alabama Announces a Special Deal with Cathay Pacific Airways

2011-01-04
The Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsboro Hotel in Alabama recently announced the Triple Your Miles with Cathay Pacific Airways package for their guests. The package allows members of the Hilton HHonors program to earn triple miles with Cathay Pacific Airways with every completed stay from now through March 14, 2011. Members must register for the promotion prior to check-in of their first stay. Cathay Pacific Airways must be selected as the Preferred Airlines Partner in their Hilton HHonors profile. Hilton HHonors is an exclusive membership program that is well worth registering ...

Atlanta Airport Hotel Near Midtown Atlanta Provides Nearby Lodging to Travelers Attending Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Performance of Liszt & Brahms

2011-01-04
The Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Airport Hotel (North) provides nearby lodging to travelers attending Liszt & Brahms preformed by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO). Performances are scheduled at 8:00pm on January 6, 7, and 8, 2011 at Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center. Featured artists include, Robert Spano (Music Director & Conductor), Yefim Bronfman (Piano), Reid Harris (ASO Musician, Principal Viola), and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The renowned and Grammy Award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is currently in its 66th season. Each season ...

The Fantasy Football Season Doesn't End at Fantazzle Fantasy Sports Until the Super Bowl Champion Has Been Crowned: Play Playoff Long Fantasy Games or Play on a Weekly Basis All the Way Through!

2011-01-04
Fantazzle Fantasy Games enters the 2010 NFL Playoffs with two new fantasy football playoff games for its fantasy football community. The Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge game and Fantasy Football Playoff Salary Cap game keep the fantasy football playoffs going, even when most fantasy leagues are finished with their seasons. The Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge game gives fantasy owners a chance to select a fantasy roster made up of any players they want, with the game playing over the course of the 2010 NFL Playoffs. The Playoff Challenge game has the user select ...

"Nveragan" Wins Over EUR350K on NoiQ.com Omaha Tables

2011-01-04
2010 was about to end, but the action at Omaha high stakes tables couldn't be higher at NoiQ.com. And it was a player nicknamed "nveragan" who made the best of it and closed his year with a massive EUR354K ($468K USD) win. After around 1 hour and 45 minutes of play and a bit more than 300 hands, "nveragan" managed to take the whole amount from a single player, "luckexpre", who reloaded many times at Monaco EUR150/EUR300 Omaha Hi table. With both starting with EUR15,000 stacks, the play hit its peak when "nveragan" won key pots for over EUR60,000 taking full stacks ...

IRS Asks All Employers Update 2011 Payroll Tax Tables Before Jan 31, 2011

IRS Asks All Employers Update 2011 Payroll Tax Tables Before Jan 31, 2011
2011-01-04
Designed with non-accountant business owners and managers in mind, ezPaycheck 2011 Payroll Software is released to help small businesses and accountants to handle the latest tax changes on Tax Relief Act signed by President Obama on Dec 17, 2010. For Year 2011, the employee tax rate for social security is reduced to 4.2%. The employer tax rate for social security remains unchanged at 6.2%. The IRS asks that employers start using the new social security rate as soon as possible but not later than January 31, 2011. ezPaycheck 2011 payroll software is loaded with intelligent, ...

Metra Electronics Introduces Audio Solutions and the Revolutionary New TV Audio Mount

Metra Electronics Introduces Audio Solutions and the Revolutionary New TV Audio Mount
2011-01-04
Metra Electronics, known for 60 years as a leader in innovative automobile accessories, announced today the introduction of the new Audio Solutions home and consumer product line. Audio Solutions - More Than Just Great Sound. Audio Solutions' flagship products include 3.1 TV Audio Mount and 2.1 TV Audio Mount, proprietary product designs that blend functional convenience with a premium audio system. These patent pending products simplify consumer installation of flat panel TVs by integrating a sturdy wall-mount bracket with a subwoofer and speakers, revolutionizing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Unlocking the mysteries of the human gut

High-quality nanodiamonds for bioimaging and quantum sensing applications

New clinical practice guideline on the process for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of cognitive impairment or dementia

Evolution of fast-growing fish-eating herring in the Baltic Sea

Cryptographic protocol enables secure data sharing in the floating wind energy sector

Can drinking coffee or tea help prevent head and neck cancer?

Development of a global innovative drug in eye drop form for treating dry age-related macular degeneration

Scientists unlock secrets behind flowering of the king of fruits

Texas A&M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Prosthetic material could help reduce infections from intravenous catheters

Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can

Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact

Rice researchers take ‘significant leap forward’ with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer

Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp

How everyday activities inside your home can generate energy

Inequality weakens local governance and public satisfaction, study finds

Uncovering key molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

UC Davis researchers help decode the cause of aggressive breast cancer in women of color

Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus

SNU researchers develop the world’s most sensitive flexible strain sensor

Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication

Neutrality has played a pivotal, but under-examined, role in international relations, new research shows

Study reveals right whales live 130 years — or more

Researchers reveal how human eyelashes promote water drainage

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

DFG to fund eight new research units

Modern AI systems have achieved Turing's vision, but not exactly how he hoped

Quantum walk computing unlocks new potential in quantum science and technology

Construction materials and household items are a part of a long-term carbon sink called the “technosphere”

First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables

[Press-News.org] Is there a Doctor in the Team? The Use of Primary Care Teams
A recent article from U.S. News discussed the development of primary care teams, rather than individual doctors, for treating patients.