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.
RAND, Health Sciences Program, Santa Monica, Calif., USA. cjackson@rand.org
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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