By 2014, we could all be waiting a lot longer to hear the words, “The doctor will see you now.” With the President’s health care law extending insurance coverage to perhaps 300,000 more people, a health care system already short on doctors could be inundated with patients. How can we cope with increased demand to ensure patients get care in a timely, efficient and cost-effective manner?

It seems to us that new and possibly more informal solutions will be needed. More efficient patient-processing systems. More incentives for doctors. More cases diverted to nurses and physician’s assistants instead of doctors. The question is: Who pays? And how much? The time has come for innovation!