developing a survey group

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hi, shirley, i am solo family practice. i have checked out surveymonkey, and it looks great. 10 questions/100 respondents per survey for free. that's fine, topics can be broken into 10 questions each, and if necessary, be further subdivided later. a survey group will need to be identified, and kept closed, up to 100 respondents. are there up to 100 practices within the practiceimprovement1 group which will commit to being the survey group? we have an opportunity to identify the key characteristics of low overhead practice, including the definition of "low overhead", and success. this will help us, and help others. who's in, and who's out? i will not do this by myself. if we are interested in this information, we'll have to do this together. LL Shirley

PigottMD wrote: Hi Lawrence,Apparently anyone can set up a survey for free at survey monkey. Maybe they have some obscure way to market the information they unearth, I don't know. As best as I can tell it looks pretty clever; hopefully it can be motivational as well as providing us with useful information. Why don't you do one? Just go to www.surveymonkey.com and go through the process. Kathy Saradarian did several last year for

docs on AAFP emr, practice mgmt, and private sector listservs. I don't know what specialty you're in, but my direction is to try to get s/sg FPs to become more involved in determining the future of private Family Medicine. If it perks the interest of pediatricians and internists, that would be terrific. Shirley Pigott MDTexas On 1/1/07, lawrence lyon <llyonmd> wrote: i have looked at both of those polls. they are related to aafp, and one's involvement, and what are the respondent's pressing issues. i don't know anything about surveymonkey; if that is a tool we can use, that's great. i am suggesting a survey relating to low overhead

and the various specific features by which one can practice and maintain financial viability. LL Shirley PigottMD <shirleypigottmd@ gmail.com> wrote: Thanks, Gordon! In addition to joing the AAFP private sector advocacy listserv, all of you are welcome to take a couple of surveys on surveymonkey. Thanks to Kathy Saradarian for introducing FPs to this useful tool. Anyone can create a survey like I've done below at no cost. Some of the questions can't be answered w/o an AAFP ID, but if you're ped or IM, your input using your AAP or ACP ID is just as valuable. Over the last 2 years, about 100 AAFP members passed solo/small group resolutions in our state academies, then sent them on to our national organization where they have become policy. We have

scratched our heads as to how we might get solo and small group pedi's and internists more involved in their organizations, so Gordon might be giving us just the trigger we have been looking for. If there is sufficient interest in nudging ACP and/or AFP toward more direct solo/small group advocacy, and traffic on that subject becomes a distraction here, I will happily create another listserv for primary care solo/small group advocacy to include pediatricians, internists, and family physicians. Each of our three organizations are promoting the concept of a medical home for all Americans, even those under the care of subspecialists. We all have seen our patients poorly served because no one is directing their total care. How neat it would be if there were enough interest that we would need our own solo/small group advocacy listserv! Thanks again, Gordon! What a terrific movement you have started, for more reasons than have been obvious

before now! Maybe there really is hope for private primary care practices to survive and flourish. The link to the first survey is:http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/77069064/Surveys/409083067994/AD16C181-9CF5-499A-AD0B-7E860A05712B.asp?U=409083067994 & DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINKThe second one is at http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/77069064/Surveys/598943077371/3F7F0959-EE1F-428B-9F11-F887F3B27A8C.asp?U=598943077371 & DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK You're supposed to

answer the first survey before doing the second. The second one requires you to do some work on your state academy website. While these questions were written for FPs, they can be used by pedi's and internists as well. Some state organizations don't have their own separate sites, but are linked to their national organizations. The answers you can give in those cases are just as appropriate for the purposes of the survey.The results of the first survey (called 'untitled survey') up through Dec 31, 2006, follow below; it will stay open indefinitely, so please don't hesitate to take it because results have already been posted. Each survey should be taken only once. The second requires FPs to be signed up on the AAFP private sector advocacy listserv; if AAP and ACP do not have equivalent forums for discussion, now is the perfect time to get them started. Until that time, however, please answer the questions as best as you can. Be

sure to copy the links!! Then paste into your address bar. Results of Survey on involvement in AAFP state academies and the effectiveness of individual state academy websites as of December 31, 2006. 48% of respondents to the survey say they have been to a state academy scientific meeting. 48% of respondents to the survey don't report ever attending a state academy business meeting in any capacity. 46% of those who say they have attended a business meeting have done so as observers. Regarding state academy websites: 12.5% who responded to the question say they have never visited their state academy website. 50% of all

those surveyed report visiting their state academy website frequently. 33% of those who have visited their state academy website even once visit it frequently. Regarding contact information for your state organization: 10.5% of those who responded to the question say contact information for their state academy is NOT easily accessible. Regarding the next state organization meeting: 20% of those who answered the question say they cannot easily find out when and where their next state academy meeting is. Regarding contacting officers: 19% of those who responded to the question say they cannot easily find out how to contact an officer from the website. Regarding state academy working

committees/commissions: 44% of those who responded to the question say they cannot easily find a list of state academy committees or commissions. Regarding the kinds of practices our docs have currently: 4% who answered the question say they are not currently practicing as a physician. 8% who answered the question say they are employed in the public sector. 4% who answered the question say they are in a practice with 4-10 physicians. 4% who answered the question say they are in a practice with over 10 physicians. 79% who answered the question say they are in solo practice. Regarding the biggest problem we have

of 6 possible choices: Of the physicians who answered the question , ___ % say their biggest problem is: 12.5% They are wondering how they will ever pay back student loans. 25% They barely earn enough to make ends meet. 12.5% They need for tort reform. 38% There are too many hassles with insurance companies. 4% They are too busy to keep up with medicine. 8% They are burned out. Is it worthwhile trying to change medicine? Of those who answered this question, 88% think medicine isn't so far gone that it's useless to try to change it. Hopefully, these results will spur those of us in solo and small group primary care to become more involved

in our state organizations as a means to change the direction medicine is headed. Most of us think there is still hope. Cheers and Happy New Year! Thanks again, Gordon.Shirley PTexasHi folksSome of the folks on the list are part of other groups working on improving health care. They sometimes take different paths but appear to me to be headed to the same goals. Insofar as there is common interest, it behooves us to collaborate and support these other initiatives.Shirley Pigott and others are taking the path of Family Medicine advocacy. This approach may appeal to others on the list, and adding your voice to theirs may help us all. If you are an AAFP member and want to add your voice, go to AAFP homepage (www.aafp.org): Policy and Advocacy -> Private Sector Advocacy -> Subscribe to 'email discussion list'. They need their

AAFP ID number, but that's on American Family Physician or any other mail they receive. The traffic is very light, but if you are worried about volume, you can use the 'bulletin-board' function and get mail no more than once per day. Everyone: just be sensitive to non family docs on the list. This is not intended to be a family med club, but a group working on solutions to the ubiquitous problems facing health care in the U.S. We have a lot in common with the ACP Medical Home movement.Gordon __________________________________________________