I work in the outpatient clinics exclusively. Then I see clinic patients here in the afternoons, sometimes independently, and sometimes Barbara comes in at the end of the visit. In any case, Barbara and I hold timely discussions on every patient. Let's use depression as an example. Very often, in this day and age, the patient has been seen by at least one or two physicians and has been taking at least one or two medications before they've seen us.
Medication management is a key issue.
We may have to start a new medication and taper and discontinue the old one. In the elderly this process has to occur slowly. These are often frail individuals who are on other medicines as well. After a patient has been found to do very well on a medication, we'll continue to see that patient every so often. We have many patients we only see every three to six months.