Healthcare is brimming with competitive clinicians and administrators. CMS and other “grading” agencies pit us against each other concerning benchmarking, penalties, and value-based payments. But does this methodology promote better patient care? Most of our quality and experience metrics are “graded” on a bell-shaped curve; in other words, how we do, compared to others? This constant analysis leads… Read More »
One of the major issues concerning physician licensure is that a physician’s right to practice ends at the state border, regardless of their ability or the needs of others. When we examine areas where there are physician shortages, we see significant differences by geographic location. This shortage might be drastically different if we considered the problem through 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 »
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 healthcare providers, we focus a tremendous amount of activity on screening to prevent illnesses. Whether it is cholesterol checks, mammograms, or colonoscopies, there is a time where the benefit diminishes due to the age or health of an individual. Currently, we are in a situation where screening continues past its efficacy. Therefore, how do we stop? It… Read More »
Recently, there has been a tremendous amount of focus and thought surrounding the idea that if patients use primary care more frequently, healthcare costs will improve. The thought is if more time is spent on prevention it will decrease the need for additional expensive interventions over time. Simultaneously, there is also conversations surrounding a shortage of primary care… Read More »
Not too long ago, I recall my hospital patients repetitively inquiring, “When can I go home?” Frequently, my response was, “Not a day longer than you need to be here, nor a day shorter.” I was not trying to be audacious, but as many know, an exact time frame was not always possible since a person’s illness, and… Read More »
The majority of literature on trust between physicians and patients focuses on patients believing what their physicians are telling them. Traditionally, the physician has played the role of the single source of information and the patient the receiver without their own level of knowledge. However, with the advancement of technology and research being something searchable at the patient’s… Read More »
Understanding precisely how individuals consume and translate clinical quality information is imperative as we continue to focus on delivering value to those we serve. Now a very data-driven industry, our focus centers on the reliability and accuracy of the data itself. However, this is only half the problem. The method in which we share this information followed by… Read More »
Physician burnout is an ongoing discussion in healthcare. Characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, burnout is a syndrome, accompanied by a feeling of reduced personal accomplishment, loss of work fulfillment, and reduced effectiveness. Since physicians are so integral to the healthcare system, the effects of their fatigue have a global impact often leading to potential losses in productivity,… Read More »