Fred N. Pelzman, M.D., writes of his practice’s “bump list” approach:
“Patients are advised that they should arrive in the practice at the beginning of either an afternoon or morning session, and expect to wait, and expect to have a provider take care of this single-focused issue.
“Explicit instructions are given: these are not routine care visits, management of their multiple medical problems, or a laundry list of complaints, essentially nothing but what they are put down by the triage team as needing to be seen for.
“And one of the stipulations is that at the end of each one of these bump list visits, each patient will leave the practice with a follow-up appointment scheduled with their primary care provider — no exceptions.

“Our hope is that patients will leave the practice satisfied, and with a plan for follow-up, and that the providers will get a little bit of a flavor of what has traditionally been going to urgent care or the emergency room, but is probably more appropriately handled in the outpatient setting.”