OnSiteClinics.Org

amednews.com – PCMC Reduces Cost

A 1-year study by the University of California, Davis, Health System was reported on the amednews.com Web site, and was published in the May/June issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. The study shows that “. . . including patients in more of the treatment and care-planning discussion is not only the right thing to do, it is also cost effective.”   (Klea Bertakis, MD, MPH, principal investigator)

In the study, 500+ randomly chosen patients, new to the physician (not established with a physician/patient relationship), were followed for one year.   All “examinations were videotaped, analyzed and coded. . ”   The study showed that several key services were reduced in number for patients who received more patient-centered care (including specialty physician referrals, ancillary testing, and inpatient admissions) resulting in lower total medical expenditures.

We all know the PCMC model is core to the on-site clinic world.   This study provides academically researched initial evidence that the model reduces cost.