Anne Ross Library Blog

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

The Popularity Game and the Cost of Health Care

The game that used to be reserved for politicians; the game that parents are not supposed to play; the game that Google rankings depend on, celeb's slave for, teens die for, and medical school professors pretend to ignore; namely, the 'popularity contest'.

Now consider the effects of this game on the medical profession and its consequences for the rising cost of health care. Surprised? Just consider how you would rate your doctor in a patient satisfaction survey if he/she told you that you needed to lose 30 pounds?

"You can tell people to eat their vegetables all you want; they’re still going to remember more fondly the person who gave them a slice of cake."

Were you aware that the growing trend in the United States is to tie a physician's compensation to their performance - not in the operating room - not in providing quality evidence-based care - but on their rating on the patient satisfaction survey?

Catering to Patients Can be Harmful to Their Health

I invite you to read this very interesting article by Kai Falkenberg published in Forbes [Jan 2, 2013] called, "Why Rating Your Doctor is Bad for Your Health?" .

Labels: culture of healthcare, health care costs, patient satisfaction, physician patient interaction

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Physician - Patient Etiquette in the Age of EHRs

"Meaningful use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) involves more than implementing an EHR. It involves interacting with patients and the computer in the exam room in a way that is productive and enhances the interaction between the patient and the physician."

This 10 minute You Tube video called "Physician Exam Room EHR Etiquette", created by Dr. Garber of the Fallon Clinic, explains the LEVEL process created by Kaiser Permanente. The video gives “good doctor” and “bad doctor” examples that physicians and medical students alike can learn and hopefully emulate!
The LEVEL process stands for:

L ~ Let the patient look on.
E ~ Eye contact.
V ~ Value the computer.
E ~ Explain what you are doing.
L ~ Log off.

Learn even more about "How to communicate well with patients while working on an Electronic Health Record" by reading this report by Pamela Lewis Dolan, from American Medical News, July 23, 2012.

Labels: communication, doctor patient interaction, EHR, electronic medical records, health care informatics, physician etiquette, physician patient communication, physician patient interaction

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