The dynamics of the healthcare environment are changing rapidly. Small primary care practices are confronting a host of regulatory, technological, and practice challenges, not the least of which is patient expectation and evaluation. The challenges are all exaggerated by social media, where patients are quick to share their experiences.

Some of the common complaints heard repeatedly include:
• Why do they make an appointment for 8:30 and see me at 9:30? Why even make an appointment?
• Can’t the doctor spend more than 5 minutes with me?
• Why do I have to fill out all these forms every time I see a new doctor?

There are hundreds of answers for these questions, but fortunately technology lends itself to analytics to better understand scheduling and service nuances. Perhaps most important, technology can help provide solutions that will enable doctors to do the thing they love the most—practice medicine. However, this requires a change in mindsets and initiative on the part of physician offices.

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