Family practitioners encountering oversized workloads can take a cue from an Ohio physician who was able to change the direction of his practice and escape solely quantity-oriented medicine by enrolling in Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC).
Dr. Larry Ratcliff’s experience is indicative of many U.S. doctors whose initial career goals included interacting with their patients. After 35 years, Ratcliff felt “jaded” and sought an alternative to the daily grind of attempting to see as many patients as possible.
Once he applied for, and was accepted into, the first Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) program in 2012, he said, his practice and his spirit were both renewed.
"This afforded me an opportunity to transform my practice … I enjoy my practice a lot more now," Ratcliff said.
The change was largely due to his ability to connect with approximately 15 other practices in the greater Dayton area via CPC enrollment. As a sole practitioner with a small office support staff, Ratcliff was able to network with other physicians with diverse specialty areas -- with the help of care coordinators supported by the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
By pooling expertise and shared knowledge across their respective local or regional networks, Ratcliff and other enrollees reported that they found their caseloads more manageable.
"I should be thinking about retiring," he said. "But instead, I'm thinking about the joy of continuing in practice."
