Becker's Hospital Review

172 CMO / CARE DELIVERY 28% of Physicians Can't Keep Up With Patient Schedules, Report Says By Alyssa Rege R oughly 28 percent of physicians said they fall behind on their appointment schedules daily, according to a recent report from Medscape. For the report, titled "Practice Workflow Report: Physi- cians' Bottlenecks, Challenges, and Time," researchers surveyed more than 1,150 U.S. physicians across more than 25 specialties. Here are five report findings. 1. Slightly under half (40 percent) of physicians surveyed said they see 11 to 20 patients per day, while 36 percent of phy- sicians said they see anywhere from 21 to 30 patients daily. 2. Roughly 72 percent of physicians said 10 percent or less of their patients don't show up for their scheduled appointment during a typical week. 3. If they do fall behind schedule, 45 percent of respon- dents said they fall behind by approximately 16 minutes to 30 minutes. 4. More than three quarters (79 percent) of respondents said the main reason they fall behind on their appointment schedule is because they want to spend a sufficient amount of time with each patient. Other factors that contribute to time challenges include: • Patients arriving late and not completing the required paperwork (66 percent) • Recording patient notes in-between appointments (49 percent) • Appointments booked too close together (47 percent) • Overbooking patient appointments (31 percent) • Tending to patient emergencies or surgeries (26 percent) 5. Approximately 40 percent of respondents identified as being "somewhat satisfied" with their practice's effi- ciency, while 23 percent identified as being "somewhat dissatisfied." n Former Swedish Health Neurosurgeon Wins $17.5M Case Contesting Termination By Alyssa Rege A n arbitrator awarded neurosurgeon David Newell, MD, a former em- ployee of Seattle-based Swedish Health, $17.5 million on Sept. 14. Dr. Newell alleged Swedish fired him in retaliation for issuing complaints about a fellow surgeon at the facility, reported e Seattle Times. Here are eight things to know about the case. 1. Swedish fired Dr. Newell roughly one year ago. Health system officials contend Dr. Newell was fired for failing to notify officials he had been arrested and jailed for soliciting sex at a massage parlor in July 2016, where police had set up a sting operation. Dr. New- ell pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute, and agreed to pay a fine and complete 80 hours of community service, according to court records. 2. Swedish officials alleged Dr. Newell breached his employment agreement by fail- ing to immediately notify health system offi- cials of his involvement in a "criminal inves- tigation" following the incident with police. 3. However, Dr. Newell claimed Swedish of- ficials used the prostitution case "as a cover to get rid of him" aer he issued complaints about a "star" colleague, Johnny Delashaw, MD, the report states. 4. Dr. Delashaw resigned from his post as chairman of the Seattle-based Swedish Neu- roscience Institute in March aer e Seat- tle Times published an investigation calling his patient care practices into question. e Medical Quality Assurance Commission in Washington state suspended Dr. Delashaw's medical license in May following an inves- tigation into claims outlined in e Seattle Times report. 5. Dr. Newell, speaking through his lawyer, told e Seattle Times he issued complaints about Dr. Delashaw as early as 2015, express- ing concerns Dr. Delashaw was allegedly "try- ing to marginalize him, take some of his work and seeking to get him fired," court records state. Dr. Newell also claimed Dr. Delashaw "retaliated against him by dismantling his practice and harassing him," according to court records. 6. In his testimony, Dr. Newell stated he did not immediately tell Swedish officials about the prostitution incident and subsequent ar- rest because "he was waiting … until he got information in the mail about the case," the report states. His lawyers wrote during the arbitration case neither the Seattle Police Department nor the Seattle City Attorney's Office "inform[ed] Dr. Newell — verbally or in writing — that he was the subject of a criminal investigation … nor did he have any knowledge of the existence of a criminal in- vestigation," court records state. 7. Newell's lawyers have reportedly request- ed a judge confirm the $17.5 million award, which includes $16.5 million for lost earn- ings and $1 million for emotional distress, the report states. Swedish Health, along with parent company Renton, Wash.-based Prov- idence Health & Services, plan to challenge the award in court. 8. Despite his termination, Dr. Newell has continued to perform surgeries at Swed- ish Health's Cherry Hill campus, where he maintains privileges. The Washington State Department of Health contended that by working at the facility, Dr. Newell had com- mitted unprofessional conduct and may face sanctions. The health department's case regarding Newell is still pending, ac- cording to the report. n

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