A call for physicians to denounce third parties once and for all
I appeal to my fellow physicians, let us denounce with a single voice practices by third parties.
Editor's Note:
When I began my career in medicine as a physician, patient satisfaction meant something for employers. If a physician had a reputation for bringing satisfaction to patients by practicing good medicine and treating people well, he or she was of interest to clinics and hospitals to hire.
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It seems to me that America’s healthcare system is deviating further each day from this simple idea as third parties are becoming progressively more involved in management of patient’s healthcare. The focus for medical directors and managers of clinics and hospitals has now become: How do we satisfy insurance companies and the government so we can get compensation for our physicians’ work?
When this happens, guess who gets to decide what “patient satisfaction” means? No, not, the patient. No, not you, the doctor. No, not even the management at your clinic or hospital. Yes, the third parties. That is, the people who do not even spend one second of facetime with the patient, the doctor, the patient-doctor exam room or the facility!
Recently, I received
The data illustrated my practice target performance in several areas, such as breast cancer screening, A1c diabetes control, high-risk medications in the elderly, and so on.
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First, from the perspective of a physician who diligently sees patients every day in a facility that is meant to provide healthcare to people, this data seemed to have been pulled from the sky. I have never had a visit from a Humana agent to collect any such data on patient quality of care or patient satisfaction.