Why Egon warned everyone (Ghostbusters, Movie) to never “Cross the Streams.”

By Editor on December 26, 2022

LEARN ABOUT THIS NEW COURSE BY CONCIERGE MEDICINE TODAY INSIDE OUR “Virtual, On-Demand Course” — Image Source/Creation: PowerPoint Template; Register to Attend This One-Hour LIVE Master Class In Patient Marketing, Healthcare Hospitality and Customer/Patient Service (Cost: $25); Learn More About Workshops and More. Learn More About Concierge Medicine Today’s Industry Approach to Physician Leadership & Excellence | Photo Credit/Image Source: Concierge Medicine Today, LLC.; Note: “FOR Doctors”, “Concierge Medicine Forum” and “The DocPreneur Leadership Podcast” are each branded imprints created/owned by Concierge Medicine Today, LLC., | #fordoctors #conciergemedicineforum #conciergemedicine #conciergemedicineconference #learning | Photo Credit/Source: Staff, Concierge Medicine Today | Healthcare Industry Trade Publication

By Editor-In-Chief, Concierge Medicine Today/Host, The DocPreneur Leadership Podcast

I must have watched the 1984 cult classic movie, Ghostbusters a dozen or so times in my youth with my cousin in Canada on my Gramma’s couch. It’s definitely a movie that has some unforgettable one liners and come one, who doesn’t smile when they remember Ray Stantz and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?

I love it.

I’m going to get a little geeky here for a minute so bear with me. There’s a point. One of the more memorable lines we can all remember toward the end of the movie was “Don’t cross the streams.” It was phrase spoken by Egon Spengler in the movie once or twice and for the nerds out there it refers to the proton beams from multiple Particle Throwers crossing paths during use.

Egon warns everyone to never “Cross the Streams.”

What would happen exactly?

Well Egon said “It would be bad.”

Peter Venkman replied and noted in the scene that he was little fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing and asked Egon what he meant by “bad.”

Egon clarified with an example. He told them to try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz realized he was talking about total protonic reversal.

Suffice to say, weeks later, to defeat Gozer, Egon told everyone to cross the streams, knowing full well the risks. He informed them there was definitely a very slim chance they would survive. And in the end (spoiler alert) they reversed the flow, banished Gozer, Zuul, and Vinz Clortho, and blew up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the Temple of Gozer, and the top floors of 550 Central Park West in the movie.

And thus, the end of the movie with a sequel or three to follow.

As you know, I’m not a Physician. But, I am a Patient. So I know what it’s like to sit on the other side of you. And as an author, a friend to Physicians young and old who work and desire to learn what’s unique in the business of Concierge Medicine, I can can tell you that when I speak about healthcare, hospitality and marrying the Hippocractic Oath with the Golden Rule … being one in the same in every patient care journey … the concept hearkens back to the idea that I know would warn you and I to say … “Don’t cross the streams.”

Nothing curls or straightens the back of a Medical Assistant, an Office Manager, your Operations Supervisor or the busiest, most driven Physician you and I can think of and causes them to instantly look up from their chart, drop their file down and say in response “Yeah, that’s nice. That’s fluffy. Good idea. But who has time for that …?”

Well, I’m here to tell you today, that unlike the ending of Ghostbusters when Egon tells our beloved character to “Cross the streams” … there is definitely is a very good chance you will survive. And in the end (spoiler alert) your Patients just might thank you for it! And if you happen to banish Gozer, Zuul, and Vinz Clortho, and blew up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the Temple of Gozer … more power to you!

Here are some recent examples of healthcare and hospitality crossing the streams in Concierge Medicine and what Doctors have informed us here at Concierge Medicine Today that they do that’s creating memorable Patient memories in their local communities.