Work time estimates for ophthalmic diagnoses and procedures. Results from the Eye Care Workforce Study.
OBJECTIVE
To provide estimates of patient-level annual ophthalmologist work times for the care of common ophthalmic conditions and patient-level global surgical care time for common or important ophthalmic procedures.


METHODS
A random sample of the domestic membership (excluding members-in-training) of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, stratified by self-designated practice concentration, was surveyed in 1994 to provide estimates of work times for common ophthalmic services.


RESULTS
Comprehensive and subspecialty-specific results were obtained for ophthalmic diagnoses, services, and surgical procedures. For ophthalmic diagnoses and services, initial and follow-up visit work times are reported for comprehensive and subspecialty ophthalmologists separately. For common surgical procedures, aggregate results based on comprehensive and subspecialist survey responses are reported.


CONCLUSIONS
These ophthalmology-specific survey results can be used for a variety of purposes, including practice management, "benchmarking," health plan administration and national workforce planning. Such surveys should be repeated as techniques and practice patterns change over time.
Jackson
C A
CA
RAND, Health Sciences Program, Santa Monica, Calif., USA. cjackson@rand.org
Brown
J A
JA
Relles
D A
DA
Lee
P P
PP
D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D009885:Ophthalmology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011897:Random Allocation; D015895:Relative Value Scales; D012955:Societies, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D014481:United States; D016526:Workload / Q000145:classification