Capital Orthopedics is a partnership of surgeons who treat broken bones for patients who live in a medium‑size town. Most patients need to be in a cast for four to six weeks; after that, many must wear a removable brace for a few more weeks until the bone is strong. Recently, Capital Orthopedics contracted to provide care to members of a local Health Maintenance Organization, and they agreed that the HMO could do a survey to evaluate patient satisfaction. The doctors were surprised to find that many patients gave them a low rating-primarily because of the inconvenience involved in being fitted for braces. Hospitals in large cities keep a complete assortment of braces on hand, but that is not feasible for a small clinic with limited space. So Capital Orthopedics orders braces from a wholesaler by phone the day a patient's cast is removed, and then the patient schedules another appointment to come back the next day after the wholesaler delivers the brace to have it fitted.