Shared medical appointments: increasing patient access without increasing physician hours.

Shared medical visits are a new concept in patient care. Doctors perform a series of one-on-one patient encounters in a group setting during a 90-minute visit and manage and advise each patient in front of the others. Patients benefit from improved access to their physician and significantly increased education, while providers can boost their access and productivity without increasing hours. Such group visits are voluntary and for established patients only.