The April 2017 issue of Health Affairs features the first article in a new series on The Practice of Medicine.

The series will explore many facets of the practice environment and how that environment affects physicians and other clinicians. It will cover a broad range of topics, including how clinicians respond—both on a daily basis and in a strategic sense—to regulatory requirements, payment policy, quality measurement, technology, and more. The articles will also explore how these factors affect care delivery.

This month’s debut Practice of Medicine article examines the amount of time physicians actually spend with patients compared to time spent on the various tasks associated with “desktop medicine.” The study, conducted by Ming Tai-Seale, Associate Director of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, and a group of co-authors, features some surprising findings.

Health Affairs welcomes submissions for The Practice of Medicine series on a rolling basis throughout 2017. Successful submissions will be timely and relevant to the current policy environment. The next paper in the series, scheduled for the journal’s May issue, will take a look at the potential impact of MACRA on the practice of medicine. Between journal articles, continue to check the Health Affairs Blog for related content, such as a recent post by a group of hospital CEOs that explains the phenomenon of physician burnout and offers solutions to reduce its burden.

This series is supported by The Physicians Foundation.