The role of physician extenders has been a subject of contention, but as demands on physicians' time grows so does acceptance of the support mid-level providers can lend. A practicing gastroenterologist explains how mid-level providers can be a boon to any GI practice.
Ask a Gastroenterologist is a weekly series of questions posed to GI physicians around the country on business and clinical issues affecting the field of gastroenterology. We invite all gastroenterologists to submit responses.
Next week's question: What can gastroenterologists do to expand their practices beyond proceduralism?
Please submit responses to Carrie Pallardy at cpallardy@beckershealthcare.com by Thursday, December 11, at 5 p.m. CST
Patrick Takahashi, MD, CMIO and Chief of Gastroenterology Section of St. Vincent Medical Center (Los Angeles): Mid-level providers can prove to be valuable in any gastroenterology practice. As reimbursements in the industry continue to decline, it is important to look at efficiency in a practice to maintain an acceptable profit margin. Because of the decrease in overall reimbursements, gastroenterologists have been increasing patient volumes to maintain their overall salaries. Gastroenterologists often wonder how they can be in multiple places at one time, i.e. the office, hospital or an endoscopy center.
Overall, there has been an increasing acceptance of mid level providers by the general public. Because of this, mid level providers can be utilized to see patients in both the office and hospital setting with little to effect on patient satisfaction. Thus, the gastroenterologist is free to spend his/her time elsewhere, whether it be performing more procedures or taking care of administrative work, etc. True, it represents a large paradigm shift, but in the right circumstance, this can be a very viable and forthcoming model to follow.