What are Group Medical Visits?

Group medical visits (GMVs) are appointments where people with the same condition are seen together. The group sizes range from 10 - 15 people and can last from 60 - 90 minutes. A typical appointment would consist of an introduction where the provider will outline what the visit entails and a group introduction. Following this, patient discussion will take place where patients can raise any concerns or questions they have. Then, the provider and other patients can share their experiences if applicable. Afterwards, the provider will talk about different treatment options and patients can continue to raise any questions they may have from. The session will close with planning for the next GMV and if necessary, one-on-one visits.

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What are the Benefits?

One of the unique aspects of GMVs is that it offers opportunities to connect with people who have similar medical conditions and health issues. Group visits facilitate more meaningful interactions among patients, as individuals are given the opportunity to share their personal experiences, struggles, and successes related to their healthy conditions. This creates a support system that promotes shared learning, and can also reduce the feeling of isolation. Patients don't feel they are in this all alone, there are people who can understand and share feelings. The Patient is given the opportunity to share their health issue in a group setting and receive information that may come from experiences of others sharing in the same appointment.
GMVs can potentially increase the accessibility of healthcare services. Healthcare providers can see more patients in a given time frame, which further reduces wait time for appointments and improves patient access to health care. It allows physicians to spend more time with patients in one appointment where a wide range of issues can be discussed. GMVs also increase the interaction between doctor and patient. Typically, patients who are paired up for GMVs are in similar medical conditions, therefore, they may have similar questions and concerns. GMVs allow physicians to address these issues in one appointment instead of repeating the answer in multiple appointments which further improves efficiency. This particularly benefits those who are in the region with physician shortages or high patient volumes. GMVs can be a more efficient use of healthcare resources. It allows for the treatment of multiple patients at once, which decreases the need for individual follow-up visits.
The structure of GMVs allows patients to spend more time with healthcare providers compared to individual appointments. This allows for more detailed education on disease management and healthier lifestyles. Better understanding of their health condition can lead to improved self-management skills among patients, leading to improved health outcomes. One study showed that patients who participated in the GMVs had fewer emergency department visits and were less likely to have an emergency department visit compared to the control group. These results remain statistically significant after controlling for confounders.
GMVs can potentially lower the total cost of medical care by increasing the efficiency and outcome of care as mentioned above. GMVs typically involve longer but fewer appointments, which would potentially reduce the time off from work and the travel cost of health care. Also, evidence shows that GMVs lead to improved patient education and self-management, which further lead to more proactive healthcare, especially for patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and allergies. Also, since it's not a one-to-one appointment, the cost of GMVs will naturally be lower than individual appointments. Cost of care per member per month was $14.79 less for the group participants’. Lastly, as mentioned above, GMVs tend to decrease emergency department visits, which ultimately contributes to cost savings.

What are the common concerns?

It is important to note that GMVs are not intended to replace one-on-one appointments entirely but to accompany them.

Patients may feel uneasy discussing personal health issues in a group setting. To create a comfortable and secure environment, the provider will individually speak to each patient beforehand discussing the importance of confidentiality and emphasizing patient comfort is the priority where patients are allowed to leave anytime during the GMV and only share information they are comfortable with. At the start of the GMV, the provider will remind the group of these guidelines, and together the group may set ground rules. Moreover, verbal consent would be required before information such as test results are shared with the group. A study reports that ‘concerns about confidentiality quickly became less prominent as the group became more familiar’ suggesting that the benefits outweighed the initial uncertainty and discomfort.
Scheduling issues may arise with a group meeting. The implementation of an online booking system so the patient and provider will be sent a reminder will be helpful. At the end of each GMV, the provider and patients can discuss the next appointment and set up a date and time for the following visit.
Patients may feel less attention on them in a GMV compared to a traditional appointment. However, a study on group prenatal care reported ‘significant improvement in client satisfaction and prenatal care utilization’ implying that the GMV had multiple positive outcomes that outweighed the patient’s desire for one-on-one attention.
As GMV is a growing appointment method, insurance may not have a specific billing code and it has been advised that ‘group visits be billed as individual office visits, using existing CPT codes.’
The provider may feel tentative towards a new format of patient care; however, it has been reported that GMVs have a ‘more positive work experience as well as sharing responsibility for care with their patients.’ Moreover, it has been noted that a more holistic approach is created with GMV where ‘providers [can] understand the social context of patients’ health, and allow patients to feel safer and more trusting of clinicians’ indicating an overall positive experience for both the provider and patient.
In terms of time management with GMV, Dr Thomas Hopkins reported in a study feeling ‘a greater command over [their] time and schedule [...] and no longer under the gun to see 25 - 30 patients a day’ which gives the ability for doctors to improve the overall clinic and have more personal time. The same study reported the doctor having a ‘311.1 percent increase in his productivity.’