Change Project
NUR 492
November 10, 2014
Dr. Christine Markut

Change Project
Today’s healthcare providers are struggling more than ever to provide high quality care while controlling the costs of healthcare. The demands of an aging population and shortage of medical personnel have brought challenges to the medical office and physicians somehow need to improve their access. Instead of limiting the time patients are able to spend with their physician discussing their medical concerns, why not increase the time and make it more effective for both the patient and the physician. Incorporating GMA’s may allow our physicians to see more patients, provide more care, and increase practice revenue. The patient benefits with increased access to the provider as well as receiving significant education with their peers that suffer from the same medical conditions (Rhee, 2013). This is a win – win situation for the organization and patients.
Patients are typically allotted 15 to 30 minutes to discuss their concerns with the physician but with group medical appointments (GMA), patients are actually able to spend up to 90 minutes with their provider. GMA’s offer an alternative structure in the way effective and efficient care is delivered to chronically ill patients (Schmucker, 2006) and it allows greater interaction time with the provider. A GMA will typically involve approximately 8-12 patients while all of the components of individual appointments can be delivered to include: one-on-one medical evaluations, greater time for patient education, and promoting self-management (Jaber, Braksmajer, & Trilling, 2006).

Regulatory (OSHA) Mandate
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