Are we keeping up with the times?

Recently Dr. Maggie Kozel wrote an excellent post for Huffington Post regarding the need for evolution in the way that we deliver health care in pediatrics.  This is a very timely article in an area that needs attention.  She responds to a recent study out of UCLA that found that well child visits are shorter than we would hope- one-third last less than 10 minutes.  There’s been a lot of talk about this study, but to be honest, I’m not at all surprised.  And, Dr. Kozel is the first I’ve heard truly address the reasons behind this problem.  The current structure of medicine forces primary care physicians to see more and more patients per day.  She points out that the study showed that this problem is especially notable in private practice. Continue reading →