Relationships Matter
Relationships matter. We are social primates. We thrive only in the context of connected communities; family, friends, work and communities of all kinds (faith, professional, shared interests). Connected used to mean in-person interactions, now we are immersed in a digital world for most of our waking hours.
We are tethered to devices and systems that become extensions of ourselves. We walk around with supercomputers in our pockets that we use to stay in touch with family and friends through social media. At home we stream entertainment through that same device to distract, amuse and explore. Yet that same technology can isolate us as well.
In healthcare relationships are even more paramount. We endow strangers with trust based on their credentials as physicians, nurse practitioners, and specialists of all kinds. But we normally navigate to them through our trusted Family Doctor. Depending on your insurance status your Family Doctor (or in insurance industry parlance a Primary Care Physician) was likely chosen for you based on who was “in-network”. For the majority of my adult life I was fortunate to have a Family Doctor that came to know me well. The tenure of our relationship allowed her to have insight and knowledge that is just not possible in a transactional encounter with a stranger. When I developed a serious condition she became my guide through the strange landscape which is healthcare in the U.S.. She also became a strong advocate of treating the whole of me, not just a diagnosis.
Unfortunately the market (dis)incentives were such that she closed her practice and since that time I have not seen the same Primary Care doctor more than once. The economics of Primary Care Practices have led to a consolidation into larger and larger groups with the Physicians themselves being monitored like call-center agents to ensure they maximize “billable” encounters.
A personal example is my recent annual physical. Highly advised by the CDC and others, regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. They can also find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better. By getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that better your chances for living a longer, healthier life.
It is in your best physical and mental interest to have a relationship with your Physician as finding a new one can be a frustrating journey. Since losing my Family Doctor, I went through my insurance providers' website to find a new one. There was really no way of selecting one except on preferences for gender or age. Then there was the additional struggle of finding ones that were accepting new patients. After finally deciding upon someone associated with a large medical group here in Los Angeles, I called and scheduled an appointment.
The appointment would be my first with the Physician and would be my annual “wellness” visit. After lots of physical paperwork and a sufficiently long wait I was taken back to a room by a nurse - vitals checked and I was asked to wait some more. The doctor finally arrived and a brief 13 minutes later, I was on my way to check-out. She was a warm individual and asked what I assume where all the right questions but most of her time was spent typing away into a medical record system given I have a rather complex medical history involving multiple surgeries and drug trials. So in the end, I had just 13 minutes to establish a relationship of trust. 13 precious minutes to unpack decades of medical history and 13 really important minutes to ask questions and explore the state of my health and wellness.
It seems this is pretty typical. Most health plans require doctors to see so many patients a day, as well as document everything in the group’s systems so that information can be submitted correctly to an insurance company and also then bill for what was not covered. Still, I developed a rapport with her and found someone I had hoped would become my new Family Doctor. Not to be. I received a letter a few weeks later informing she had left the practice and I was welcome to select another “Primary Care Physician”. The above story would repeat the following year. I’m still looking.
The lack of a trusted Family Doctor means I am less likely to see someone about anything that isn’t considered an emergency situation. There’s just too much friction, no shared history, no relationship. It doesn’t have to be that way. The world has changed. The supercomputers in our pockets mean we can do things differently. We can empower Patients to be more in control of their well-being while also building trusted relationships. We can empower Physicians to spend the time needed with each patient by automating the routine, augmenting their responsiveness and meeting their patients where they are - in the digital world as well as in-person. Imagine being able to engage with your Family Doctor virtually. To securely send a chat about something that concerns you. Imagine being able to escalate seamlessly to a video call to discuss or automatically schedule an in-person visit; and all the context and your medical history available to you both in real-time. It’s possible.
Daniel Cody is a Co-Founder of Neoteric Health which is creating a platform for the next radical shift in Healthcare by increasing access, intimacy and improving outcomes. Leveraging the latest advancements in machine learning/AI, and insights from behavioral psychology combined with a powerful omnichannel engagement platform we are building a better tomorrow today.