Time well spent?(Health Plans)(Medical Group Management Association )(Brief article)

Physicians spend three hours per week--or 43 minutes on average per workday--interacting with health insurance plans, according to research published recently by Health Affairs. The study, conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), Weill Cornell Medical College, the University of Toronto and the University of Chicago, found that total staff interaction time systemwide converted to dollars equaled $21 to $31 billion annually, or more than $68,000 per physician per year, on average.

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The research found that primary care physicians spend more time on these interactions than medical or surgical specialists. Nursing staff spend nearly four hours per physician per day interacting with plans; clerical staff spend 7.2 hours per day. Solo practitioners and their staffs spend up to 50 percent more time interacting with health plans than physicians in larger practices. Non physicians' staff time did not vary significantly by specialty.

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