Now, What questions do you have for me? A new feature from our Chief Medical Officer

The following blog post is authored by our Chief Medical Officer, Howard Krein, M.D., PhD. Dr. Krein is also Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and a founding partner and co-director of Jefferson's Facial Aesthetic and Reconstructive Center. 

As a new feature on this blog, Dr. Krein will be writing regular commentaries about how we can continue to leverage new media, ideas and technology to improve patient experience and change the health care system for the better.

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Now, What questions do you have for me?

Seems like a direct enough question. Seems to be open ended, seems unbiased, right?

I always thought that this simple question was all I needed to say to allow my patients to gather their thoughts and ask me anything they want. Give them ample opportunity to understand the information that I presented and that will be so important in their heath and wellbeing. Its funny how time and experience can change the things you were once certain of.

I was taught many things throughout my 10 years of medical training.  I know how to collect information, how to do a history and physical, how to interpret data. I can look at a wound and know if it is doing well or not. I can take a person's face that has been ravaged by cancer or by a trauma and make it whole again. What I find increasingly difficult to do is make sure my patients have and understand all of the pertinent information they need to consistently make the right healthcare decisions. 

As the costs for medicine rise (both for the physician and patient) and insurance companies put pressure on healthcare practitioners to see more patients during each day to make ends meet, the amount of quality time I get to spend with a given patient decreases. It is a simple formula: the number of hours in a day is consistent, and if I now need to see twice as many patients in my office to make enough money to keep the lights on, then the number of “minutes” I get to spend with each patient drops.  This is where I have a problem. The choice that I am forced to make is either to spend more time with each patient then I have allotted for them or just stick to my schedule and leave the patient to figure things out for themselves.  For me the choice is simple, I spend whatever time each patient needs to understand what they are dealing with. This unfortunately routinely puts me behind in the office and so every subsequent patient has to wait a little extra. If three or four patients need extra time during a given day, my schedule is shot! For many patients this extra waiting period adds to their dissatisfaction with the current medical system.  Add the extra wait to see a healthcare provider with the frustration of  high cost  and decreased accessibility and no wonder healthcare it at the top our political agenda.

So where do we go from here? How do we arm patients with more information to better understand their health? How do we provide patients the tools to get more out of their healthcare visits?  How do we as caretakers ensure that our patients, our friends and our families are getting the most out of what is available both in and outside of our offices?

We have entered into a new age of medicine. An age where complex information is available to all in an instant.  An age where the knowledge of individuals, experts,  and even the masses are all within a few clicks of a mouse.

Access to health information has never been easier.  Discerning quality health information, however, has never been more difficult. How do we leverage the power of our technology to help our healthcare system take better care of our patients and protect them at the same time?

I think it starts by healthcare providers taking a look at what information and technology is out there and understanding it better.  Rather than be threatened by this “new age” of medicine, there is an opportunity to embrace it.  And by doing so, help develop the resources and technology that are growing and will inevitably be a part of your practice.  Support patient interaction with quality sites and information.  Support the change and development of insurance regulations that limit the way we interact with patients.

After a recent Wall Street Journal article which highlighted some of the changes that are bound to take place in medicine, a physician referred to this technology as non-viable. I assure you, the changes that are taking place in how our patients access healthcare and health information is not only viable, it is both the present and future of medicine. Instead of resisting this “wave” or sitting by on the sidelines waiting to see where it goes, catch the wave and take a ride.  Help others understand the importance of this movement and the potential it has to improve all aspects of healthcare.

Although I’ll never stop asking my patients “Now, What questions do you have for me?”, I know that with our help, patients will be able to get quality, accurate answers to their questions anytime of the day or night…..