Volume XXVl, No. 11
February 2013
The Independent Medical Business Newspaper
Decision aids in diabetes treatment Promoting the voice of the patient By Marc Matthews, MD, Kari Ruud, MEd, PMP, and Victor Montori, MD
H
ealth care in America is fundamentally broken, and the inability of patients to participate in clinical decision-making is a significant reason why. Yet, few physicians are ready to acknowledge that the inability of patients to participate in the decision-making process is a driver of poor outcomes and skyrocketing costs. We have allowed our health-care delivery systems to be designed in a way that rewards us for doing more and more things of questionable value to our patients instead of taking the time to listen to our patients and allow them to contribute to decisions that will have a significant and, often, direct impact on their quality of life. We forget that patients and communities often define health not as the absence of disease, but rather as the ability to live a functional and productive life DIABETES to page 12
Disruptive doctors
DISRUPTIVE to page 10
PAID
T
he physician bursts out of the exam room, glancing at the assistant for some needed information. In a short moment, the physician is yelling, slamming the phone down, and stomping down the hallway because the data was misfiled in the electronic record.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
By Melanie Sullivan, EdD, MBA
The physician is a member of a medical practice that is respected in the community. And the physician is creating chaos. This deep, dark secret is never discussed outside of the realm of the owners and the administrator. This physician appears angry all the time and undermines any decisions the group makes. The tension is building: Staff members dread board meetings, planned changes
ILLNESS Page 20
Detriot Lakes, MN Permit No. 2655
Action strategies for clinics
SPECIAL FOCUS: CHRONIC