Risk Management

Tip

Rapid change in the health care system is a fact we all live with on a day-to-day basis. Many of these changes are exciting and create great interest in the profession. Certainly, technical advancement has never moved at such a rapid pace. For example, it is fascinating to think of the changes that might occur in health care with the implementation of Telemedicine. Could Telemedicine challenge boundaries we have grown used to such as State and National borders? What influence will this have on physician-to-physician communication? One thing for certain, the current advances in medicine will have an influence.

During these fascinating times there are issues that remain the same. In this comparison, the eye of the storm is the patient. Since the beginning of time, people who believe they are sick or injured present themselves to the health system for care. They undergo a process to deal with their needs that most often involves the office visit or a hospital encounter. The opinion of the patient regarding these services is referred to as patient satisfaction; furthermore, some authorities feel patient satisfaction is one measurement of quality of care. With this being said, it is recognized some patients need to be denied, such as drug abusers. These denials are clearly in their best interest.

As the tornado has the "eye of the storm," the health care system will always have patients that are in the center of the system and in need of care. Patients also respond to the turmoil around them; furthermore, they have a strong desire to be treated in a manner that is caring, conscientious and competent.

The turmoil of medicine, like the awesome strength of the tornado, will run its course and we will be able to access the damages incurred. A consistent issue that will remain is our patients’ need of our services. It is imperative now and in the future to keep the patient in the center of the health care system. Patients are not a burden to be dealt with. They are the reason the health care system exists. During these times of technologic and social change, it is imperative physicians do not loose sight that the primary customer is the patient. Also, keeping this in mind, we will decrease our professional liability.

In closing I would like to quote from an article by Richard M. Glass, M.D., The Patient-Physician Relationship, JAMA, Vol. 275, No. 2, 147-148. January, 1996.

"The patient-physician relationship is the center of medicine. As described in the patient-physician covenant, it should be a ‘moral enterprise grounded in a covenant of trust.’ This trust is threatened by the lack of empathy and compassion that often accompany uncritical reliance on technology and by pressing economic consideration."

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