first, i think that has to do with the area that one practices in.
in this area, midlevels are ubiquitous, and almost all the primaries have one. your survey results dont surprise me, as everyone and their brother wants to be seen by "the doc"...
and mille, if all things were equal, i wouldnt be taking care/caid, and possibly not even comp, and might not need NPs/PAs. even so, if all other things were equal, one of the huge advantages of NPs is improved efficiency, and if a patient has to decide on going to your office, earliest in 4 weeks, or mine in 2 days...
thats what Tenesma is pointing to - having someone else who does the work that is not essential to the physician. Im sure if all of us had a situation where someone else does all the set up, and all we had to do is come in and push down on the block needle, we could all be much more efficient. but it initially costs money to get there.
its a delicate balance. i remember reading a practice audit advice - hiring more staff, while in the short run costs more, in the long run means much better financial rewards by making the physician much more efficient. Of course, but too much staff, and the extra stress of additional people/personalities...
