I went to a neurology movement disorders clinic with only one doctor staffing it, and he was super-efficient. He would dictate into a little recorder in between patients. I think it saved him a lot of time as far as dictations.

I see about 20 patients per day but it depends on if there are more sick calls or physical. Also if more old people or young people.

I scheduled patients 3 per hour, with a number of systems in place, forms, and procedures to make my office run more efficiently, and more importantly- to increase the quality of care that each patient received. Having this combination of slightly fewer bookings/higher efficiency made me much happier, and I also received a lot of new patient referrals by improving my practice in this way.

-Devi

Well I am a pediatrician. Work half time. Not a partner, I am an employed physician with a large group practice. My experience is certainly colored by the perspective I have, but I like to see fewer patients. When I first went into practice, I felt so much pressure to have high production numbers. After about ten years, I suddenly realized two things. #1 my job satisfaction is much higher when I can spend more time with my patients and #2 I am less likely to get sued when I spend more time with my patients. Therefore, I have had a shift in philosophy. I now will block extra time into my schedule so I actually have time to address the needs of my more complex patients. I do feel I am practicing medicine the way it should be practiced now. I am not a partner in my group and I am not paid on production. I also have control over my schedule (we have EMR) so I can make it work for me. My staff also knows how I run so they schedule me appropriately. I have to say, my job satisfaction is so much better now that I have made these changes. I see about 20 patients per day on average, sometimes more and sometimes less. I do have time for coordination of care during my day (phone calls to specialists and families), too bad this is not reimbursed!