Since the pandemic healthcare has undergone a remarkable transformation. Before COVID dropped in as our latest wicked problem, technology was upending everything we do. I’ve been thinking a lot about the burnout, confusion, uncertainty, and exhaustion that we’re facing. I've been thinking about the conditions that define healthcare. When we talk about these ... Continue Reading about Three Conditions That Define Healthcare
Refusing Telemedicine – Can Patients Opt-out of Remote Care?
With the sweeping rise of COVID19 telemedicine has taken healthcare by storm. During the local surges, this served as a mandated way of maintaining safe distancing. But as things come back to a new normal and as we decide where telemedicine fits in to a clinic structure it might be worth asking: should patients have the option for in-person care. Is refusing ... Continue Reading about Refusing Telemedicine – Can Patients Opt-out of Remote Care?
Stop Medical Distancing
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic hospitals are facing catastrophic financial challenges. The American Hospital Association estimates a four-month impact of $202.6 billion in losses for hospitals and health systems - That’s an average of $50.7 billion per month. With these mounting losses some systems ands organizations have jumped on board with a media ... Continue Reading about Stop Medical Distancing
Measure What You Care About
“We don’t know how to measure what we care about so we care about what we measure.” This quote comes from Chris Dancy in his provocative book, Don’t Unplug. While it references technology, the quote captures the problem with modern medicine’s obsession with numbers. Measuring to manage is okay as long as we’re measuring the right stuff. Usually we’re not ... Continue Reading about Measure What You Care About
How Not to Teach Social Media
The early days of Twitter and Facebook were all about early adopters giving ‘social media talks.’ For many of us these amounted to cheerleading over shiny new objects - fast moving talks that subtly oversold social media. Conversions from non-believers to believers were less frequent than we liked. We told ourselves folks 'just didn't get it.' Speaking for myself, I ... Continue Reading about How Not to Teach Social Media
High-Deductible Insurance – 3 Consequences to Patient Care
Possibly the biggest change that I’ve seen in clinical practice is the rising burden of health care costs on patients. On a daily basis I have difficult conversations with families as they face the grim reality of health costs offset in their direction. It’s captured pretty nicely here in this Bloomberg piece, Doctors are Fed Up with Being Turned Into Debt Collectors. ... Continue Reading about High-Deductible Insurance – 3 Consequences to Patient Care