Education as a hidden cost in ambulatory care

Since nearly a quarter of this nation's hospitals' outpatient and emergency rooms engage in medical education, it is of critical importance for administrators to determine the extent to which medical training influences the operational costs and efficiency of patient care for those services in their facilities. A computer simulation model has been developed at a midwest adult medical clinic to study the effects of ambulatory medical training on clinic operations. The model is capable of showing changes in the facility without disrupting the work flow and thus reduces the problems associated with long-term data collection. Various staffing patterns, both with and without medical training, were compared for the operational effects, patient convenience, and costs. The article offers probability distributions based on actual clinic experience. The research identifies and evaluates the trade-offs that must be considered when medical education is incorporated in an ambulatory program. Since both the faculty and students must take time away from direct patient care for consultation, more clinic time is required, causing staff costs to increase and patient care efficiency to decrease. The model demonstrates that when teaching loads increase, the faculty become less available to residents which results in resident inefficiency and longer patient waiting time. These operational consequences demonstrate the basic management problems of the need for balance between the demand for clinical teaching time and the demand for efficient service delivery in a solid ambulatory care/teaching program.