Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Getting messy in the game of health care

Paul Pender, MD
Physician
August 22, 2021
Share
Tweet
Share

“We can’t sit in the stands – we have to get messy and play on the field.”

The casual observer, the season ticket holder, the player, and the coach have very different levels of knowledge, skill, and passion for a professional sport. The casual observer may be confused, not even understanding the fundamentals of the game. The season ticket holder likely has some experience with the sport, possibly playing as a youngster or in high school, and has invested time and money in a team. The player has developed advanced skills to succeed playing the game, yet may need extra motivation (perhaps in the form of bonus money or an extended contract) to perform at the highest level. The coach must consider overall strategy while managing players and answering to the general manager, the owner, and the media. Talk about getting messy!

On top of this, America has a culture of impatience. We want to get on with it, not wait in line. And these cultural demands place additional expectations on everyone involved with the game, from the occasional visitor to those who breathe it day in and day out. The game will see its share of victories and defeats, triumphs and tragedies. But it is through the combined efforts of everyone involved that true chemistry is created and progress can be made.

Consider viewing the assemblage from a distance to gauge the level of intensity and fervor created in the game. If you had a seat on the Goodyear Blimp, could you still hear the shouts and screams of the fans? Would you see the “the wave” making its way from section to section in the stadium? Could you follow the action on the field without binoculars? It depends on your understanding of the game’s rules and the players’ positioning on the field. The game of health care is changing whether we like it or not.

The high-value patient-doctor relationship should be the fundamental principle behind any new model of health care. To me, the most appealing version of the game is “best school,” combining tech with the values for patient engagement that attracted us to health care in the first place.

Many patients, doctors, nurses, and health care administrators appear to have a seat on the blimp with little concept of how the game has evolved over the years and is being played now. They may have attended the game in the past, but they likely haven’t seen the action from 5,000 feet above the field—and seeing the health care picture from the big picture distance can create some impetus for adapting to the new rules. We need to not only explain the new rules of the game but also show how passion of the team can overcome adverse conditions and ultimately prevail. Everyone on the blimp needs to become engaged, including those who have been riding involuntarily.  The health care game has changed. We will find season ticket holders. And those of us on the field will get messy, no doubt. But who knows? Our game might just become a national pastime.

Paul Pender is an ophthalmologist and can be reached at his self-titled site, Dr. Paul Pender. He is the author of Rebuilding Trust in Healthcare: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Post-Pandemic America.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How doctors think about financial independence is dead wrong [PODCAST]

August 21, 2021 Kevin 1
…
Next

How to tell someone their loved one died

August 22, 2021 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How doctors think about financial independence is dead wrong [PODCAST]
Next Post >
How to tell someone their loved one died

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Paul Pender, MD

  • Why meaningful patient connections matter in medicine

    Paul Pender, MD
  • Global aspirations for value-based health care

    Paul Pender, MD
  • Employer health plans need a makeover

    Paul Pender, MD

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Health care needs more physician CEOs

    Alexi Nazem, MD
  • What health care can learn from Game of Thrones

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • A new rule that could be a game changer for health care

    Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD

More in Physician

  • The silent victories of medicine

    Dr. Bodhibrata Banerjee
  • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

    Banu Symington, MD
  • Teaching medical students what it is really like to be a physician

    William Lynes, MD
  • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • The timeless art of diagnostic reasoning

    Sandip Pandey
  • What MS can teach cardiologists about disease

    Larry Kaskel, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The mental health workforce is collapsing

      Ronke Lawal | Conditions
    • The stoic cure for modern anxiety

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

      Rusha Modi, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • A nurse practitioner on leaving the medical machine

      Carrie Friedman, NP | Conditions
    • Why shifting from wellness to well-being matters for physicians and patients [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • The ignored clinical trials on statins and mortality

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • Why medicine needs a second Flexner Report

      Robert C. Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why bureaucracy is threatening the survival of private practice physicians [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why direct primary care (DPC) models fail

      Dana Y. Lujan, MBA | Policy
    • The silent victories of medicine

      Dr. Bodhibrata Banerjee | Physician
    • How timing affects chemical exposure risks

      Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD | Conditions
    • A physician’s tribute to respiratory therapists

      Zoran Naumovski, MD | Conditions
    • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

      Banu Symington, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The mental health workforce is collapsing

      Ronke Lawal | Conditions
    • The stoic cure for modern anxiety

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

      Rusha Modi, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • A nurse practitioner on leaving the medical machine

      Carrie Friedman, NP | Conditions
    • Why shifting from wellness to well-being matters for physicians and patients [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • The ignored clinical trials on statins and mortality

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • Why medicine needs a second Flexner Report

      Robert C. Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why bureaucracy is threatening the survival of private practice physicians [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why direct primary care (DPC) models fail

      Dana Y. Lujan, MBA | Policy
    • The silent victories of medicine

      Dr. Bodhibrata Banerjee | Physician
    • How timing affects chemical exposure risks

      Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD | Conditions
    • A physician’s tribute to respiratory therapists

      Zoran Naumovski, MD | Conditions
    • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

      Banu Symington, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...