A Markov chain model for analysis of physician workflow in primary care clinics

Sujee Lee (), Philip A. Bain (), Albert J. Musa () and Jingshan Li ()
Additional contact information
Sujee Lee: University of Wisconsin
Philip A. Bain: SSM Health Dean Medical Group
Albert J. Musa: SSM Health Dean Medical Group
Jingshan Li: University of Wisconsin

Health Care Management Science, 2021, vol. 24, issue 1, No 5, 72-91

Abstract: Abstract This paper studies physician workflow management in primary care clinics using terminating Markov chain models. The physician workload is characterized by face-to-face encounters with patients and documentation of electronic health record (EHR) data. Three workflow management policies are considered: preemptive priority (stop ongoing documentation tasks if a new patient arrives); non-preemptive priority (finish ongoing documentation even if a new patient arrives); and batch documentation (start and finish documentation when the desired number of tasks is reached). Analytical formulas are derived to quantify the performance measures of three management policies, such as physician’s daily working time, patient’s waiting time, and documentation waiting time. A comparison of the results under three policies is carried out. Finally, a case study in a primary care clinic is carried out to illustrate model applicability. Such a work provides a quantitative tool for primary care physicians to design and manage their workflow to improve care quality.

Keywords: Primary care; Physician workflow; Markov chain; Face-to-face-encounter; Documentation; Operations research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10729-020-09517-1

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