Docs With Their Eyes on the Clock? The Effect of Time Pressures on Primary Care Productivity
69 Pages Posted: 11 Nov 2018 Last revised: 15 Dec 2020
Date Written: October 19, 2018
Abstract
This paper examines how time pressure, an important constraint faced by medical care providers, affects productivity in primary care. We generate empirical predictions by incorporating time pressure into a model of physician behavior by Tai-Seale and McGuire (2012). We use data from the electronic health records of a large integrated delivery system and leverage unexpected schedule changes as variation in time pressure. We find that greater time pressure reduces the number of diagnoses recorded during a visit and increases both scheduled and unscheduled follow-up care. We also find some evidence of increased low-value care, decreased preventive care, and decreased opioid prescribing.
JEL Classification: I10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation