MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chester G. Chambers PhD Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Baltimore, Maryland Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Chambers: The main findings of this study are that several metrics of system performance can be improved by using simple methods proven to be effective in many production settings. Specifically, the idea of using “Pre-processing” as an aspect of medical education improves patient flow times, waiting times, system throughput, and system capacity. When fixed costs are spread across more patients, we are effectively reducing the cost per patient as well. In this context “Pre-processing” simply refers to the practice of having medical trainees present and review cases with the attending prior to patient clinic visits as opposed to doing it in the midst of the patient visit. This simple idea is common in many areas including surgery but tends to get omitted in other settings involving ambulatory care. Our simple experiment verified that this practice has real value in a wide array of settings. (more…)