“I’m ready for things to change around here.” “I like change.” “I’m always up for something different.” These are the lies that we tell ourselves and others with so much confidence that we all believe it. These are the statements that I hear every time I enter a new medical practice. Things aren’t going well, there are tons of inefficiencies and something must be done about the morale. Although these statements are made earnestly and the problems truly do exist, what typicall

We’ve all taken them – patient experience surveys asking about wait times, phone systems, friendly receptionists, and more. But the wave of the future is the PROM – and we aren’t talking about the fanciest high-school dance of the year. PROM stands for patient-reported outcome measures and, while they haven’t taken a strong foothold in the fee-for-service world, they will certainly become essential in the value-based care of the future. PROMs seek to determine whether patient

It is well publicized that physicians are experiencing a rate of burnout at over 50%. Physicians in Residency Programs report even higher levels of burnout. Last month, I teamed up with Dr. Epperly, CEO of the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho in Boise, to engage a group of 20 Residents in a discussion on this important topic. Not surprisingly, the ripple effect of this epidemic of burnout has reached other members of the healthcare team, and is starting to be acknowledged i

We’ve gone overboard inconveniencing ourselves and our patients. “If this in an emergency, hang up and dial 911” is my favorite example of an assault on patients. There are clinics with locked doors needing secret codes to get the patients from the reception to exam areas. I hate sliding glass windows at reception desks allegedly for HIPAA privacy. When trying to find actual requirements for these kinds of restraints I’m being referred anecdotally to some “recommendation” b

Many organizations tout or strive to be a learning organization. By learning organization, I refer to the definition provided here, which states: "Organization that acquires knowledge and innovates fast enough to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. Learning organizations (1) create a culture that encourages and supports continuous employee learning, critical thinking, and risk taking with new ideas, (2) allow mistakes, and value employee contributions, (3)