Time-motion study of physician can improve practice’s hourly output

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Improving the efficiency of physicians’ movements in the office can help increase patient flow through a practice, according to a speaker here. If practice administrators can use time-motion studies to influence the flow of patients through the system, the potential to increase the patients-per-hour rate is great, said Richard C. Haines Jr., during the administrator’s program at Hawaii 2005, The Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting.

Although administrators cannot alter a physician’s “natural way” of relating to and communicating with patients, they can analyze the tasks physicians perform that affect patient throughput as a means of identifying how to “cut the fat,” Mr. Haines said.

He described three “D’s” to evaluate in a time-motion study: doctor do, doctor delegate, and down-time (the doctor’s time that is wasted).

Mr. Haines suggested that after performing a time-motion study, administrators may find wasted time in factors such as physicians waiting for empty examination rooms or walking to and from exam rooms.

“Nothing gets done while you are walking, so get rid of the walking,” he said.

With careful analysis and recording of all tasks performed by the physician, the administrator can eliminate “the fluff time” without taking anything away from the patient, Mr. Haines said.