Are You an Owner or a Renter in Healthcare?

The Purpose Behind Ownership in Healthcare

Are You an Owner or a Renter in Healthcare? Deciding now is important because healthcare, particularly surgical care, is at a crossroads. Surgeons and physicians are facing an unprecedented level of burnout, frustration, and disillusionment. At the heart of this crisis is a fundamental question: Why are we in healthcare?

At its core, we entered this profession to provide exceptional care, to save lives, and to bring meaningful improvement to the lives of our patients. Yet, the system has shifted focus—driven by profits, bureaucratic inefficiency, and a mindset that often places financial interests above ethical patient care.

This is where the problem lies: Are we owners, or are we merely renters in this system? Ownership is about taking control, creating change, and exercising agency to improve patient outcomes and our professional lives. Being a renter, on the other hand, means giving up that control, allowing others—insurance companies, administrators, and inefficient systems—to dictate how we practice.

Otolaryngologists are finding that their happiness level and work-life balance are not springing back easily even as COVID-19's effects on the workplace wane. Many doctors are struggling to find the same level of contentment that they enjoyed before the pandemic, to feel like they are healthy people with enough time for their families.? Meanwhile, the impact of persistent burnout and depression continues to build among otolaryngologists. Frustration, sadness,and anger are widespread. - Medscape

The Mechanics of Ownership in Healthcare

How do we move from being renters to owners? It starts with a shift in mindset, where physicians and surgeons take control of their practice and refuse to let external forces dictate their decisions.

• Reject the "do more with less" mentality: Many of the system's current owners—insurance companies, hospital administrators, and policymakers—are pushing surgeons to deliver more with fewer resources, often without the tools to do so effectively. This has led to increased burnout, administrative overload, and ultimately, poorer patient care.
• Demand ethical decision-making: Those who aren’t directly involved in patient care are often the ones making decisions. They may not understand the intricate dynamics of surgery or patient care, yet they determine reimbursement policies, protocols, and performance metrics. Surgeons need to be the ones at the table, making decisions that directly impact their profession and patient care.
• Own the decision to improve: We must stop waiting for others to fix the broken system. Owners take responsibility—they advocate for themselves and their patients, innovate in their practices, and challenge systems that compromise the quality of care.

This mindset of ownership demands agency. Without it, we're left spinning our wheels, caught in an endless loop of meetings, administrative tasks, and a healthcare system that is reactive instead of proactive.

Just 15% of physicians surveyed said that the health plan-appointed peer “often” or “always” has the appropriate qualifications. More than one-third of physicians said that payer peers “rarely” or “never” have the expertise required to make a call on their patient’s prior authorization. - AMA Report on Administrative Burdens

The Outcomes of Taking Ownership in Healthcare

When surgeons and physicians adopt a mindset of ownership, what changes? The outcomes are significant, both for the profession and for patient care:

1. Better patient outcomes: Surgeons who take ownership of their practice focus on delivering high-quality care that is aligned with their expertise. They reject the one-size-fits-all approach imposed by hospitals and insurance companies and instead tailor their care to what’s best for their patients.
2. Reduction in burnout: By taking back control over their schedules, administrative tasks, and decision-making processes, owners find a renewed sense of purpose. This can reduce the sense of burnout that has become so prevalent in our field.
3. Professional satisfaction and quality of life: Ownership means making choices that align with your values and your personal well-being. Whether it’s opting out of inefficient systems like traditional EMRs or rejecting the constraints imposed by large healthcare systems, owners prioritize what matters—patient care, family life, and personal freedom.

Can we, for the sake of both doctors and patients, reclaim agency, belief, and joy in medicine? - Beyond Moral Injury

My Journey to Ownership

My personal journey from renter to owner wasn’t without challenges, but it has been deeply rewarding. Here’s what I changed:

• I opted out of traditional EMR systems: In doing so I took a 4% Medicare billing hit in exchange for a massive reduction in administrative burden. This allowed me to focus on patient care rather than navigating cumbersome, inefficient record-keeping systems.
• I rejected the fear-based control exerted by large healthcare groups: Focusing instead on providing the best possible care for my patients, even as others in my area were mired in bureaucratic delays and inefficient protocols.
• I made decisions that aligned with my values: Prioritizing my patients, my family, and my own quality of life. The freedom and agency I gained have been worth more than any financial trade-off.

The future of healthcare depends on more of us making this mindset shift—from being renters to being owners. We must demand a better way of practicing, not just for ourselves, but for our patients and for the generations of surgeons to come.

I encourage you to take time right now to rethink about Your Why, embrace a new mindset of ownership, and begin taking back control of the future of healthcare. Because when you, I and others do, the results will be transformative—for ourselves, for our patients, and for the healthcare system at large.

Fire up!