I know a man who was instructed to fast before a procedure. He arrived at the surgery center the morning of his procedure. During his prep, they asked if he had anything to eat or drink. He said “I only had coffee this morning.” His doctor informed him they could not do the surgery today because of the coffee. After which his wife spoke up, “Aw, it was just a small cup, go ahead and do the surgery.” The physician asked, “Who is the doctor here?” to which the wife replied, “C’mon Jack, you need to find another doctor, this one doesn’t know his job.”
This Harvard Business Review blog raises some very critical points about the current approach to dumping more healthcare decisions on the patient. They rightfully point out most patients don’t care about healthcare until there is a crisis. Then they are expected to make highly complex decisions, using data they don’t understand, while they are under stress and sometimes incapable of logical thought.
This is slightly different from other services industries. For example, if my car is broken, I take it to a mechanic who tells me what is wrong and what they will do to fix it. They give me a price and I have the option to shop for better prices. In healthcare, I might not have the option to shop, nor is the solution as simple as replacing my brakes. Another example, I have a CPA who does my taxes each year. I take a box of receipts to her and she hands me a completed form to sign and mail to the tax collectors. Occasionally, she asks me questions about my business, but most of the time I rely on her judgment to keep the black SUVs away from my driveway.
Some in the Healthcare industry would prefer we all become experts in many facets of health in order to save a few pennies. Unfortunately, this usually doesn’t work. There is a reason we hire expert talent like lawyers, CPA, mechanics, and doctors to offer advice, counseling, and steer us away from trouble. Moreover, patients have been trained to expect this same kind of advice and guidance without question for decades. It is foolish to assume they will, overnight, become interested and informed about their health. Some do, but the majority of our population is completely reactive to their health and will stay that way until a watershed event makes them change.
Most patients are not qualified to make these decisions. Some steps have been taken to make them more informed, but most patients are blissfully unaware of what is available. For example, patients can view Core Measures reports at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov to compare data collected in their area for over 80 measures. This is a tremendous asset the too few know exists. Other patients can visit www.healthgrades.com to see the power of social media as it relates to selecting a physician or dentist.
Unfortunately, patients have no patience to learn material they expect their doctors to already know.
