Overall Practice Organization

Save 1-2 hours per day by re-engineering workflows and information flows. A few hours creating a well-organized system will save much time in the long run, and will make the work more enjoyable.

ACP 2013: Strategies to Boost Satisfaction

Working Smarter, not Harder: Straight-forward strategies to transform your practice and reduce burnout (Fam Prac Mgt 2006)
Practice Redesign 101: A step by step guide to improving efficiency
Joy in Practice: Innovations from 23 practices (Ann Fam Med 2013)
Joy: White paper: Detailed description of 23 innovative sites (pdf)
Relationship-centered practice: Interview (J Gen Intern Med 2012)
Reducing Waste in Primary Care: Most solutions to physician shortage: train more, lose fewer, or find someone else. We propose a 4th approach: waste less. (Health Affairs 2013)
Getting Started: 13 Quick Steps to an Efficient Practice (pdf)

Pre-visit Planning

Plan ahead for a meaningful and manageable next visit by reappointing patients at the end of each visit, and arranging pre-visit lab. By having results at the appointment the patient can be more engaged, and the practice eliminates hours of post-appointment results reporting work.  The idea is  "The next appointment starts today."

Visit planner example: Orchestrate next steps of care in seconds with check-list
Visit planner: Modify visit planner to your own needs) xlsx
Planned care appointments: A data management system to decrease missed test results, support workflow efficiency and enhance patient centered care. (letter to editor re: missed PSA results) pdf

Pre-appointment Questionnaire

A tool for agenda setting: when the patient and physician agree on the agenda the care is better and the visit more satisfying. 