Term: Intensity of Practice
Last Updated: 2007-09-26
Intensity is a construct that reflects the amount of care provided to the patients in a practice. A high intensity practice is one where patients receive more visits and/or services than would be provided in a low intensity practice. Expenditure to the health care system, incurred by a practice, is a well-accepted proxy for intensity. Thus, intensity refers to the average cost of care (per discrete patient) for a physician's entire practice, and includes both direct care (e.g. visits) and indirect care (e.g. referrals to specialists, lab procedures etc.).