...see patients who struggle with healthy eating and exercise. We see patients who cannot comply with our orders because of low income, lack of support at home, trouble with pain or depression.

As a way of providing additional support to struggling patients, the idea of treating patients who have the same diseases in group visits appeared in the literature several years ago, (2) but it has not gained traction. (3) This article presents a different approach: Focusing group visits not on a single disease state but on behavior change.

The tipping point

The heart of every change is something called the "tipping point." (4) It is the point at which a concept we have previously heard about, but not acted on, tips over into relevance. This applies not only to our patients but also to our own approach to patient care.

I reached the tipping point for group visits in the fall of 2006. The idea became personally relevant because I desperately needed a new...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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