As the healthcare industry continues to focus on value (improved quality and service, and decreased cost), understanding the human dynamics of physician healthcare providers will enhance our ability to drive change. Incentives are foundational, however, money is not always the primary motivator. Behavioral Science postulates that different people respond differently to similar incentives. We know there is a… Read More »
A commonly held premise of shared decision-making is that the healthcare profession neither adequately gives specific treatment options nor discusses the trade-offs of surgical intervention. Predominantly, the thought is that if more in-depth conversations were to occur concerning the trade-offs, and there is more appropriate management of expectations, the chosen solution would be the more conservative approach. With… Read More »
“Hot-spotting” is a method in healthcare to identify areas for intervention. The premise suggests, if I can identify a segment that is responsible for most of a situation and change its trajectory, a positive outcome will occur. This premise is the basis for disease management, and now value-based care concerning social determinants of health. However, a recent randomized… Read More »
As we continue to embrace technology and machine learning to improve care, it is essential to focus on situations as they arise, and advocate adjustments that allow us to evolve. One such area that requires further scrutiny is Physician liability and artificial intelligence (AI). Undeniably, AI is by no means flawless since it involves machine learning on present… Read More »
As we focus on delivering value, and decreasing waste, clinical appropriateness needs to be considered on a daily basis. Unfortunately, much variation is due to the lack of health care providers following evidence-based guidelines. There are various reasons this occurs, including a lack of consensus between medical societies, ease of disseminating new information when it is published, as… Read More »
A profession is defined as an occupation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested, objective counsel and service to others for direct and definite compensation. The two key components of this very “matter of fact” definition are specialized educational training and offering a service to others for payment. Unquestionably, those that provide… Read More »
If one delves back in history, the fundamental component of medical education is focused on holistic care, meaning, caring for those we serve within the context of body, mind, and spirit. In more recent times, the focus has moved to diagnosing and treating the physiologic condition. However, studies have shown a person’s environment, behavior and lifestyle have a… Read More »
Improving the value of healthcare to those we serve requires us to examine not only the quality delivered but also the associated cost. Since quality and cost are interdependent and occasionally at odds with each other, managing the dynamic between the two is essential. Utilizing and practicing evidence-based medicine delivers proven enhanced quality outcomes. Thus, many experts believe… Read More »
Being a physician and aspiring to treat those we serve within the realm of evidence-based medicine is difficult. One of the things that can feel hard to manage are all the messages from the various medical societies. Though we rely on our specialty societies to aid us distinguishing between valid or inadequate research and informing us about new… Read More »
A recent article in Health Affairs, Choosing Wisely Campaign: Valuable for Providers Who Knew About It, But Awareness Remained Constant, 2014-17 by Colla and Manior, explored how care providers had participated in a campaign to discuss low value vs. high value care with their patients before making care decisions. Unfortunately, not only did awareness of this campaign not… Read More »