At this time of the year, the annual CEO message appears in employee emails, especially healthcare. It is a time of reflection, anticipation and hopefully, hope!
The roller coaster of healthcare rolls along like Mr. Toad’s wild ride. No one really knows what is around the corner. So why are people drawn to healthcare? Why do people relish the 24/7 pressure, the life dramas and the constant unknowns.
Most people who spend their careers in healthcare speak to the lifelong learning, the fact that lives are saved, rehabilitated or a quality of life is given to those who seek care. It is a calling that compels people to come back, the next day and the next, despite the intense culture of healthcare.
But every rubber band has a breaking point. At what point do we say this system needs to be fixed in a fundamental way. The Affordable Care Act was about access and the wisdom of that legislation will be debated for years.
But when will we look at the use of resources. The role of insurers, pharmaceutical and device companies is never part of the national discussion. Stronger lobbyists? No healthcare system in America is making double digits profits; these companies are. How much cutting can we do on the clinical side? The provider side is not asked to reduce expenses and in fact, works at odds with that initiative.
I hope in 2015 there is a comprehensive discussion about healthcare with all the players in the room. My suggestion would be to have a patient sit at the head of the table and I believe the conversations would change and the outcomes would be better.
Enough of my introspection and I hope you have a wonderful 2015. Happy New Year!