In Drop-In Group Medical Appointments (DIGMAs), patients can come into disease-specific groups whenever they feel like it. Another model, the Cooperative Health Care Clinic (CHCC), involves having a set group of patients who come regularly as a group, according to University of Colorado geriatrician John Scott. Each patient sees the doctor one-on-one in private, but the group also spends 90 minutes on group education or counseling.
In early trials, this model has reduced emergency room visits by around 18 percent and hospital visits by 12 percent, and has also increased patient and physician satisfaction, Scott reports.