KEY POINTS AND SUPPORTING LITERATURE:

Research is mounting that shows at least half of Family Physicians’ time is spent caringpatients, providing services, and doing work that is not accounted for during face-to-face (OHIP billable) visits with patients.

• Here is an article by Arndt et al that details how and why more than half of Family Physicians’ days are spent interacting with their EMR and providing non-face-face care. It references that Family Physicians spend nearly 2 hours on these duties for every 1 hour of direct patient care.
• Here is an article by Tai-Seale et al that shows Family Physicians split their time evenly between direct patient care and “desktop medicine.”