Primary Care Practice Characteristics Associated With Medical Assistant Staffing Ratios.

Rodriguez, Hector P; Berube, Alena D; Hung, Dorothy Y; Shortell, Stephen M; Fisher, Elliott S · Ann Fam Med · 2024

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

This study characterized adult primary care medical assistant (MA) staffing. National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (n = 1,252) data were analyzed to examine primary care practice characteristics associated with MA per primary care clinician (PCC) staffing ratios. In 2021, few practices (11.4%) had ratios of 2 or more MAs per PCCs. Compared with system-owned practices, independent (odds ratio [OR] = 1.76, <i>P</i> <0.05) and medical group-owned (OR = 2.09, <i>P</i> <0.05) practices were more likely to have ratios of 2 or more MAs per PCCs, as were practices with organizational cultures oriented to innovation (<i>P</i> <0.05). Most primary care practices do not have adequate MA staffing.

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