shared work space

[jonnylingo]

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I've asked in other forums as well but wanted to get your take.

I work with a multidisciplinary group, 200+ physicians, and there is constant shuffling of departments from one workspace to another as we grow. This often results in the consolidation of space. Whereas most physicians once had their own office, now many are being corralled into shared workspaces.

I see some advantages, but more disadvantages.

My questions to you are: Do you share office space? Would you prefer to have your own office? Do you see this as a threat to physician autonomy, dignity, and moral? Do you see this as a HIPPA violation? Is this an inevitable trend that we must accept?

Thanks in advance.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I don't but some of the newer offices being built have basically communal office space. Its a result of this article: Redesigning Your Work Space to Support Team-Based Care

I prefer to have my own space and just have an open door policy. That's how its been everywhere since residency and I like it. I've never felt weird going into a partner's office to talk with them but I enjoy the privacy.

Not a HIPAA (2 As, not 2Ps) problem as its all within the same practice. I don't think its an inevitable trend (my current office is just over a year old and everyone has their own office). Definitely don't see it as a thread to autonomy or whatever. Its just an idea that's got some publicity, and for the right group can be a good thing.

 

[simpler2]

"Would you prefer to have your own office?"

If I were in my own office, how would I be able to consult colleagues easily throughout the day while sipping my micro/nitro-brewed coffee and nibbling on my avocado toast.
More seriously though, there is a movement for much of medical care to move more towards centralized grouping off all providers in an open "pod" or community office space. This tends to be a big part of the collaborative care model in medicine. Having experienced the private office a bit, I personally greatly prefer the large grouping experience.

 

[deleted87716]

Due to space constraints, we had shared office space in the first practice I worked in (2-3 docs/office), except for a couple of the senior guys who had their own (small) offices. It was OK, but suboptimal if you were both on the phone or if one of you was on the phone and the other was trying to concentrate on something. I didn't spend much time in my office as a result.

When I opened my own practice, I included individual offices in the floorplan.

 

[goal-getter]

I prefer individual offices...for telephone or video visit, and to handle any personal affairs during my lunch hour. I believe most, if not all, my colleagues would agree.

 

[goal-getter]

Nice office... I have been slow to decorate after switching locations.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I don't have an office. I work in one of the exams rooms converted to a computer station. I have created a coffee bar in there too. My diplomas hang in my house. I don't leave any personal belongings in clinic ever.

 

[KeikoTanaka]

Is it pretty reasonable to have your own office space at some point, even in a big multispecialty group, working as an FM Doc? Or are most of them shared as well

 

[Bacchus]

I have my own office but never use it. I usually am at my workstation.

 

[SLC]

I share an office with a part timer, it’s not that bad, she’s never in there anyway. she goes from exam room to exam room and charts when I’ve gone home for lunch and is gone by the time I get back.

It’s a pretty small space, but I don’t mind. I don’t decorate it either. I’m not into that. My diplomas are still in their folders from when I was given them. My state license is in an envelope. I try to spend as little time as possible in my clinic, no point in trying to make it cozy when I’m in a hurry to leave.

 

[hallowmann]

This feels like a trend pioneered by health systems and administrators. It's all marketed as a way to promote team approaches and collaboration, which might be partially true, but more than that its about the bottom line. Individual offices take up way more real estate than a communal room. Individual desks cost more and even equipment can be minimized to match the total number of docs present at any given time instead of every single one having a computer, printer, etc. in their office whether they're there or not. I had a discussion with an admin and they were shockingly open about it and simply said that offices are fiscally negative spaces, whereas turning that space into another exam room makes it a fiscally productive space.