I believe the pressure test for tomorrow’s practice, whether practicing in these models or not, will be formed early in a patient’s eyes and minds when they ultimately ask, ‘Are we better off because you’re here?’

By Michael Tetreault, Editor-in-Chief

I think there will always be a natural tendency in any organization, especially in healthcare, when we bump into ideas that propose, ‘How do we make what we do better?’ to cross our arms and become critics instantly. We quickly default to ‘this is how we’ve always done it’ and redirect our energy to orchestration vs. evaluation. Physicians are not always kind to each other in the process, despite collegial commentary.

I interviewed my 10-year-old daughter this week for an upcoming episode of our podcast at Concierge Medicine Today, and I asked her, “What do you think going to the doctor will be like in the future?”

Her reply at 10 years old was, “It’s going to be chaotic and short.”

The perspective of the next generation informs us who labor in healthcare now that medical offices today are giving up their influence unnecessarily in our communities by creating more and more barriers between the Patient and Physician in the name of “efficiency.”

Patients are burning out as well, and the data supports this. Too often, the patient is served and cared for in such a way that teams see the patient as an inconvenient obstacle on their route to efficiency. You’ll recognize this in our healthcare culture when you hear things like “You’ll have to …”, “What’s your name again …?” or my favorite, “This is how we’ve always done it.”

While I’m not a Physician, I am a Patient, a father, and a sandwich-generation caregiver. I know what it’s like to sit on the other side of the exam room from a distracted and hurried Physician and your team members. I know the benefits of practicing concierge medicine and direct primary care (which are different, by the way), and I’m also a fan of those models. I’m also probably the last Canadian on the planet to see other pathways forward for the next generation of patients in areas like PA and NP-led subscription-based healthcare delivery practices, retail healthcare, price lists on TVs, telehealth, concierge medicine, etc., because the fact of the matter is Patients will go to a place where they feel welcomed, are treated with kindness and respect and truly cared FOR and it’s going to take a lot of fresh ideas to turn our communities into healthier places.

For example, one retired DPC Physician we interviewed in recent years said, “Instead of viewing the status quo PCP model as the center of the universe, maybe we should take some plays from the Retail Clinic playbook before we become obsolete.” ~Dr. N.

That said, my mentor once wrote, “Somebody is already working on a uniquely better approach, a uniquely better product, a uniquely better environment, a uniquely better model. Someone out there is currently messing with the rules of the prevailing model. [But] the goal isn’t necessarily to be first or the pioneer of uniquely better, but people should be in a position organizationally and personally to recognize it when it comes along.” ~A.S.

At the end of the day, I’m grateful for models in healthcare delivery, such as concierge medicine, subscription-based telehealth programs, video appointments, DPC, and the like. These models provide a little hope that we’re leaving our kids with a preferred future.

However, I believe the pressure test for tomorrow’s practice, whether practicing in these models or not, will be formed early in a patient’s eyes and minds when they ultimately ask, ‘Are we better off because you’re here?’

My answer will always be, “Yes, because it’s no longer about being the best Doctor in the world anymore. It’s about being the best Doctor FOR the world, FOR your Patients, and FOR your local community.