Analyzing medical assistant tasks at a family medicine practice improved workflow

A family medicine student recorded medical assistants’ tasks over nine days at a family medicine residency practice. About 30% of their time was idle with no task available. Indirect care such as room setup and testing accounted for 40% of their time, direct patient care for 25% and administrative work such as messages and chart review for 5%. In response, the practice began trialing a new arrangement which involves matching each assistant to a single physician or a pair, depending on patient load rather than sharing medical assistants across a pod of physicians. The practice administrator and nurse manager describe a subjective improvement in workflow, and satisfaction among physicians and assistants improved as well.

Analyzing Medical Assistant Workflow to Improve Office Efficiency

Corresponding Author: Caleb Haeussler, MD, et al

Department of Family Medicine, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

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