Taken together - those with few contact days may be dissatisfied due to access barriers, and above certain thresholds, more days may offer diminishing marginal benefits. A good reminder of the importance of making care more efficient when possible.

Every additional contact day cost patients an additional $49 out of pocket:

Patients with more contact days reported less ease in managing care:

We found an inverse U-shaped relationship between contact days and overall satisfaction:

Health care contact days outside of the home, while often necessary, can place burdens on older adults and caregivers. In a new JAMA IM study, @ishaniganguli.bsky.social, John Orav, and I look at the relationship between contact days and other measures of patient experience. Key findings ⬇️

Thanks also to co-author Meredith Rosenthal!

Docs & patients know the pain of chasing borderline/incidental findings w/ a string of visits, tests and treatments. Yet after that initial test, these cascades can feel unavoidable. In a new @journalgim.bsky.social, @ishaniganguli.bsky.social and I explore reasons why & potential solutions: