The medical industry is not currently conducive to a value-base model. Instead, it floods doctors with paperwork and various administrative tasks that doesn’t allow them to get to know their patients and build a working relationship. Considering that burnout affects around 63% of all physicians these days, we need a better system that takes care of both physician and patient.
What can we do to improve the current healthcare system and how do we implement it? Can we even do something? That’s what we’re here to explore. Below, we’ll talk about the main problems that plague the medical system today and how we can tackle them!
What Can We Do?
There are many complex challenges to tackle but there are several interesting insights that you might want to consider. One thing is clear, though. It won’t be easy to implement any change and revolutionize the healthcare system. Consider the following:
- We Work Better as a Team
Dr. Elliott S. Fisher, a Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at The Dartmouth Institute says that making any change in the medical industry is a team effort. Alone, you can’t do a whole lot.
He says that “I grew up with a strong sense that my mission in life was to make the world a better place, but not knowing how to do it that was so uncomfortable. The thing that made it possible – while a student and then a resident and [thereafter] – was having friends and colleagues who all decided we would work together to do something about [these challenges].”
He claims that working with people who are passionate about what they do will help you succeed and advance toward your goal faster than if you were doing it alone. Working with other people is not only enjoyable but also fosters a sense of competition and of constant betterment.
- Think Outside the Box and Don’t Wallow in Your Comfort Zone
Systemic changes have never happened by being locked inside a box and never getting out of your comfort zone. In fact, the greatest pioneers have always been persecuted and disliked. Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King had a 75% American disapproving in his time? To enact change, you will have to oppose the popular opinion and have the courage to take the first step.
Dr. Fisher continues by saying “I was a fellow at the University of Washington and [contacted someone in leadership] a million layers above me who was appointed to run a committee on dealing with uncompensated care. I just called him and said, ‘Could you use some help?’ He could’ve said no, but he said sure!”
This made it possible for Dr. Fisher to create draft on a report about the mitigation of financial burden of hospitals who take care of the poor and uninsured people. He says that people’s positive feedback is excellent at slowly eroding the status quo and improving the quality of healthcare over time.
He also claims that the full capitation (or a value-based payment model) is an excellent method of enhancing the quality of healthcare accessible to patients. It also improves patient outcomes – “But it requires shifting to a system that lets the doctors focus on the care, paying attention to and building the capacity to identify who is managing a population – not just the patient in front of you.”
If you’d like to learn more about how to enact a change in the medical industry through personal efforts, then we invite you to a call with Primary Medical Care Center at (305) 751-1500. Alternatively, you can use our contact form!