Study Finds Link Between Office Hours, Health Spending

Over the course of two years, patients whose doctors offered weekend and evening hours spent 10% less on health care than people whose physicians held only weekday hours, according to a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine. Researchers surveyed more than 30,700 U.S. residents and found that 36% said their doctor offered extended office hours. According to researchers, the longer hours did not necessarily cause lower spending and instead might be an indicator of a "more cost-conscious practice overall."

• "When Doc's Office Is Open Longer, Patient Costs Dip" (Norton, Reuters, 9/12).