Running Group Visits in Your Practice (PDF)

With health care costs on the rise, poor access to primary and specialty care, the complexities of the health insurance system and the demands on a physician's time, the traditional model of one-on-one medical visits no longer best serves patients or health care providers. Patient demand is only increasing as the population ages and suffers chronic illnesses, and with too few medical students entering primary care and geriatrics, the health care system's ability to meet that demand is rapidly decreasing. Under this current model, a patient can wait for two hours for a handful of minutes with an exhausted doctor. Frustratingly little discussion or education can take place during such inaccessible and hurried visits.

Dr. Edward B. Noffsinger, a pioneer in group visits and the originator of two of today's three major group visit models, has engineered a potential solution to these imminent and pressing health care challenges. Running Group Visits in Your Practice presents the group visit model as a means to exponentially increase physician productivity while working the same or fewer hours and increasing patient satisfaction. This book explores the history and purpose of current group visit model (most notably the DIGMA and PMSA models, invented by the author more than decade ago), how to implement them in your practice, and how to make them a success for patients and physicians alike. With its groundbreaking theories and friendly, accessible tone, Running Group Visits in Your Practice represents a fascinating solution to some of the biggest problems facing physicians, patients, third party insurers, corporate purchasers, and the United States health care system today.

Rarely does anyone create something that truly alters the way we work. Dr. Edward Noffsinger did just that with the creation of the DIGMA, thereby securing himself and the DIGMA within the annals of health care innovation.

--CharlesM. Kilo, MD, MPH

CEO, GreenField Health

In the midst of the most pressing problems currently facing our overly stressed healthcare system today, Dr. Noffsinger's plan will not only work in our existing health care system, but also help to contain the skyrocketing costs of healthcare today. For those wishing to improve both patient and professional satisfaction, this book is simply a must read.

--George L. Blackburn, MD, PhD
Harvard Medical School