How many exam rooms per physician

Other factors play into how successful you are at running with two exam rooms. Being strategic about how you schedule patients so you don't overload your clinical resources is one critical factor. Another factor is how and when you dilate patients. We will save those, perhaps, for a later discussion. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Gemba Academy Visits Franciscan St.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Yes, email me about new posts, daily! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. The extra room just becomes a storage closet. First name.

Last name. Leave A Reply. This is especially helpful during busy times and can decrease the amount of time patients have to spend in the exam room.

Be sure this room provides sufficient privacy for the patient. It will need to have an area where the patient can lie down or sit down so the nurse can take blood pressure or collect other diagnostic information using an electrocardiograph, spirometer or Holter monitor. Having such a room can also make it more feasible to use PC-based diagnostic devices for obtaining vital signs and other data.

These are particularly useful if you have or are considering purchasing an electronic health record EHR system. Many of these devices now integrate patient data with the patient's electronic record, eliminating the need to import this data through a secondary interface, thereby improving efficiency and reducing transcription errors.

The design of an exam room is important no matter how many rooms you have or how big they are. Because privacy is paramount, make sure the door opens into the exam room rather than into the hallway and is hinged in such a way as to swing toward the exam table.

This will shield the patient on the exam table from the view of those outside the room. The ADA requires that the door be positioned approximately 18 inches from the corner, but these requirements could vary from region to region. See the diagrams for a sample floor plan of an exam room. The layout of the room should be flexible to meet changing needs, but all the exam rooms in the practice should be designed and stocked identically so that you and your staff do not waste time searching for supplies.

The placement of cabinets, sink, chairs, desk, exam table, lights and waste receptacles is critical for ensuring that patient visits run smoothly. Consider how the quality, design and location of each of the following exam room elements can affect the patient visit:. The exam table. A wide variety of exam tables are available depending on your budget, the procedures you perform and your patient population.

Because your patients will likely spend the majority of their time in the exam room on the exam table, make sure it is comfortable and easy to adjust. For example, a table that can lower to 18 inches from the floor makes it easy for pregnant, post-op or disabled patients to get onto the table without putting excess strain on themselves, you or your staff. Some exam tables are fully motorized, allowing you to adjust the height, foot and back sections, and they can tilt to achieve the Trendelenburg position.

You can also find tables that feature pelvic tilt, removable tops, electrical receptacle, built-in pillow and positioning programmability. To facilitate access to both sides of the patient, consider positioning the exam table at an angle in the room. Not only will this give you full access to the patient, but it also will create a barrier to deter the abuse of diagnostic devices that can occur when patients are left unattended and within arm's reach of items mounted on the wall.

Your stool should be comfortable while also providing support for your back. You can find adjustable stools with an airlift feature that provides some shock absorbency to prevent jolting your spine when you sit down.

It's a good idea to have two side chairs for your patient's relatives or caregivers. You might consider a third chair if you have an EHR at a drop-down desk away from the exam table. The kinds of procedures and exams you perform will dictate the type of lighting you need. Lighting should provide precise positioning with shadow control and proper intensity.

Lights are available on caster bases or they can be mounted in a variety of ways. Halogen exam lights can be more expensive than incandescent lights and can get very hot in operation, but they use bulbs that last longer and are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs.

Consider using inch-deep cabinetry to provide storage while maintaining as much floor space as possible. For comparison, normal kitchen cabinets are 24 inches deep. Modular cabinetry is preferable because it allows you to choose the right amount of storage space for your needs, eliminating trips outside the exam room for equipment and supplies. It can also make it easier to take your cabinets with you if the practice moves.

The cabinetry should be durable, easy to clean both inside and out, and made with medical-grade materials. Cabinetry designed specifically for health care facilities uses steel and plastics to provide added durability. You can also choose from a variety of colors to coordinate with the paint or artwork in the room.

Diagnostic systems. Most offices use a diagnostic system that includes basic instruments needed for physical diagnoses, such as an otoscope, ophthalmoscope, ear speculum dispenser, sphygmomanometer and thermometer.

It's convenient to mount these systems on the wall for easy access. If you mount the systems in the same place in each exam room, you and your staff won't need to adjust your routine each time you go into a different room. Desktop computers are still more popular than laptops for practices that use EHRs. They are best positioned on a desk-height extension of the counter, away from the sink. If you use a tablet computer, consider placing it on a shelf nearest to the point of care or on a rolling stand for greater mobility and to ensure the necessary eye contact with the patient.

Dressing area. If your practice requires a dressing area in the exam room, some options include cloth curtains, partitions on wheels or even double-door dressing cubicles that mount to the wall. A dressing area will provide a little extra privacy in case you or a staff member enters the exam room unexpectedly. Waste receptacles. When looking at the reception area seating, you need to calculate your busiest hours during the day or week and the typical number of patients you expect to see during that time period.

Remember to average this out over a few weeks or months to get a balanced number. Then, multiply that number by 2. This will give you an idea of how many chairs you need in the reception area, to ensure there is enough seating.

These are just basic guidelines that will assist you with deciding how many exam rooms need for a doctors office to run successfully. Remember that you need to also consider the look and feel and aesthetic, which have a psychological effect on the patients, the team and the doctor as well.

Keep non-critical medical attention at home, preserve scarce medical resources, and help protect patients and healthcare workers.