This is compounded by more rheumatologists asking for work-life balance but also facing an endless patient wait list, Ms. Ellis said.
Adding APPs may help address this challenge, but even then it takes some strategy. One idea Dr. Dewing shared is having NPs or PAs meet over lunch with local primary care physicians to talk about what’s a good referral to a rheumatologist.
Although scheduling is never easy, Dr. Edgerton urged rheumatologists to try and work in patients who must be seen within a reasonable amount of time. “I don’t think the right approach is to have them wait too long. I think there’s an opportunity to do it another way,” he said.
He also cautioned against investing excessive resources in reviewing or triaging consults. Too often the clinical information is inadequate to properly triage consults, and the time spent would be better used actually seeing the patient in the practice.
The wait time at his practice is currently about one month.
Vanessa Caceres is a medical writer in Bradenton, Fla.
