Clinical Services Initiative

Primary Care Task Force

Wednesday, May 28, 2003
7:00 – 8:30 a.m.

MINUTES

Attending:
John Rutherford, MB.ChB.  Chair
Shelley Roaten, M.D.  Co-Chair
Robert Frey, M.D.
Danna Kimberling
Julie Landesberg   Ex-Officio
Steven Leach, M.D.
Gary Reed, M.D.
Stacey Rychtyk   Ex-Officio
Mary Teasley

Absent:
Karen Houpt, M.D.
Cindy Lochte    Ex-Officio
Bradley Marple, M.D.
Ellen Wilson, M.D.

I. Development of appropriate panel size for primary care providers.

The first focus of the Task Force was to discuss and recommend an appropriate panel size (patients/provider) for our primary care practices.  It was recognized that AMA standards recommend 2,000 patients/provider, which is based on a physician seeing patients full-time (40 hours per week.)  This figure breaks down to 200 patients/session (or 200 patients per ½ day clinic.)

Recognizing that faculty physicians have responsibilities in teaching and/or research that takes them away from full-time clinical activities, the Task Force agreed a reasonable panel size in the primary care practices would be 175 patients per session.

II. Development of specific recommendations concerning “access” to primary care providers at Southwestern Medical Center.

The Task Force discussed the variety of avenues that route prospective patients to our primary care departments.  These include:
· Campus employees, their families and friends, familiar with our physicians
·  Referrals from faculty members
· SAO patients
· Referrals of friends and acquaintances by SAO patients
· General public familiar with UT Southwestern
· General public with insurance plans who list UT Southwestern primary care physicians

In initial discussions, the Task Force acknowledged the importance in assuring certain patient populations have access to our primary care practices, including:
· Employees of the campus
· Referrals from faculty members
· SAO patients

Dr. Leach suggested the Task Force develop a questionnaire asking faculty physicians what services they expect from our primary care physicians.  Dr. Rutherford suggested we send this questionnaire to the high volume providers on campus.  Julie Landesberg will provide this list for the next meeting.

For our next meeting:

Julie Landesberg will gather information on the insurance coverage for employees of the affiliated hospitals at Southwestern Medical Center.  She will also invite Carol Key, Director of the Special Assistance Office, to our next meeting to talk about the guidelines her office follows in arranging primary care appointments for SAO patients and their referrals.

Stacey Rychtyk will pull the last three month’s data on the number of new patients per month to the General Internal Medicine and Family Practice clinics with details on their medical insurance plans and where they live.

Drs. Roaten and Reed will gather data on the RVU’s generated per panel size for each provider and for the clinic overall.

At our next meeting we will review in depth the patient populations that come to us for their primary care and consider who we wish to continue to accommodate.

The next meeting of the Primary Care Task Force is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4th from 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. in the B11 conference room.