PubMed · 9171678
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D B Williams. Double vision.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9171678/
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BACKGROUND: Studies of length of stay (LOS) in hospital usually focus on physician-independent factors. In this study, the authors identified physician-dependent factors and tested an intervention aimed at them to determine its effect on LOS. METHODS: A prospective comparison of LOS on 2 general medical wards in a tertiary care teaching hospital before and after the intervention. The pre-intervention (control) period and the intervention period were each 4 weeks. The intervention consisted of a checklist for planning management and discharge. RESULTS: Overall, the mean LOS was shorter during the intervention period than during the control period, but the difference was not statistically significant (12.0 and 14.4 days respectively, p = 0.13). The difference was significant on ward A (11.0 v. 14.7 days respectively, p = 0.02) but not on ward B (13.0 and 14.0 days respectively, p = 0.90). INTERPRETATION: An intervention at the level of the admitting physician may help to shorten LOS on a general medical ward.
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Primary care gatekeeping, in which the goal of the primary care physician (PCP) is to reduce patient referrals to specialists and thereby reduce costs, is not an adequate system in which to practice medicine. However, returning to the pre-managed care model of uncoordinated open access to specialists is a poor solution. The primary care model should be retained, but PCPs should be transformed from gatekeepers into coordinators of care, in which the goal of the PCP is to integrate both primary and specialty care to improve quality. Changes in the PCP's daily work process, as well as the referral and payment processes, need to be implemented to reach this goal. This model would eliminate the requirement that referrals to specialists be authorized by the primary care physician or managed care organization. Financial incentives would be needed, eg, to encourage PCPs to provide management of complex cases and discourage both over-referral and underreferral to specialists. Budgeting specialists should control excess costs that might be created by the elimination of the primary care gatekeeper. Pilot projects are needed to test and refine this model of PCP as coordinator of care.