Session Outline: Dr. Diana Berger, a diabetes and lifestyle medicine specialist, will facilitate a webinar about shared medical appointments (SMA), often referred to as a “group visit,” for patients with diabetes. In a SMA, a group of 10-15 patients meets with a physician, behaviorist, medical assistant, nurse, and dedicated documenter for 90 minutes. Patient participation and peer support is an integral part of this team-based approach to care in which the care team facilitates discussion rather than lecturing. SMAs can improve clinical outcomes, increase patient and clinician satisfaction, improve access to care, and boost a physician’s productivity. This innovative practice model is efficient, cost-effective, and potentially profitable for a practice.
The goal of the webinar is to inspire the participants to design, implement, and evaluate shared medical appointments for their patients with diabetes in their practices.
Objectives: By the end of the webinar, the participants will be able to:
Access the resources to set up SMAs in their practice.
Identify patients who would benefit from SMAs.
Learn how to bill and document for SMAs efficiently.
Use SMAs as a forum for teaching nurses, medical students, and residents.
