A variety of studies have shown that patients who visit their physicians more frequently have better outcomes, however the quality of these visits may be more important than the frequency.

Team@ CMHF

More frequent trips to the primary care physician (PCP) can help better control glucose, LDL-cholesterol and blood pressure (BP) in diabetics, according to a study

The researchers noted that most diabetics do not have their cholesterol levels, BP or blood glucose levels under control.

As encounter intervals increased, the proportion of patients who never reached treatment targets also rose steadily

Encounters every two weeks may, therefore, may be appropriate for the most severely uncontrolled patients or under a different treatment care model”

The researchers concluded that more frequent physician encounters could increase healthcare resources; however, they offered that the use of medical homes could help coordinate care for

these patients, and group visits, telephone, fax and email consultations could be helpful to reduce this cost burden

Reference:http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=29717