The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the speed at which we have converted to virtual care. Physicians and consumers have substantially increased their use of virtual visits and digital applications. This care includes interactions concerning diagnosis, evaluation, and management of conditions that historically have occurred in person. Because of this, many questions arise concerning the quality and utilization of… Read More »
There are several external rating agencies such as CMS STARS, Healthgrades, Leapfrog, and US News and World Report that inform the public concerning the quality of healthcare facilities and physicians. Unfortunately, many of these rating agencies rarely measure the same metrics, so it can be extremely confusing both for the provider and the consumer to decipher. And being… Read More »
As we focus on delivering value-based care; higher quality at a more affordable price, the conversation concerning payment models rapidly pivots to global capitation for a population of lives. The opposite payment model is a fee-for-service model, and currently, there is a belief that service-based fees lead to an over-utilization of services. Consequently, many believe the only possible… Read More »
With the first month of the New Year nearly behind us, and new transparency regulations becoming law, Healthcare faces increasing challenges when it comes to consumerism. Using such a framework is appropriate as the persons to whom we provide services of our “goods” do “consume” them; however, compared to consumers of other types of products it is not… Read More »
What the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light is the detrimental effect of medical misinformation. We must remember the “law of rumor” is proportional to the level of ambiguity and the importance of the spreading. When there is an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty, when people feel anxious, when the information is deemed important, and whether they believe the… Read More »
Last week I shared a post, Understanding and Instilling Trust in Our Patients, today’s post takes a deeper look at how to build that trust between patient and clinician. As we continue to focus on building patient trust, it’s necessary to recognize that one’s own characteristics play a critical role. For those times that we are dealing with… Read More »
Periodically, there are discussions regarding the critical component of trust in healthcare. Currently, the present pandemic is a prime example of the issue. Some, we observe, inherently trust science; others prefer the approach, I need to distrust you until you prove to me you are trustworthy. A third category proclaims I trust you; however, I must verify the… Read More »
FROM THE ARCHIVES! I will be re-posting some previous posts that I think are appropriate to share once again. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Changing behaviors is seldom easy. Behavioral economics and habits play a crucial role in our response, and undoubtedly, we do not fully appreciate the complexity of these issues… Read More »
FROM THE ARCHIVES! I will be re-posting some previous posts from this year that I think are appropriate to share once again. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some previous posts that are relevant to the uncertain healthcare climate we are navigating right now… Read More »
When in conversations with others on complex topics, I am frequently perplexed when what they say seems so illogical to me and incongruent with scientific data. For instance, currently, in this pandemic, this occurrence could not be more befuddling. Throughout COVID, the amount of “anti-vaxxers,” “anti-maskers,” and those who genuinely believe this is a hoax, is frankly astounding.… Read More »