Editor’s Note: This week, we reached into our archive to bring you this “Encore Performance” from Michael Millenson who speaks candidly about the assumptions we make about people “different from us” and their implications for meaningful patient engagement and activation. A few years ago, I was upgraded to First Class on a flight from […]
The case for patient engagement has historically been ethical (“It’s how people should be treated”) and clinical (“Engaged patients have better outcomes”). But what happens when patient engagement becomes the law? That question has become more pressing with the release of the final rule for the Quality Payment Program of the Medicare Access and CHIP […]
Two elderly, low-income women, one black and one Hispanic, visit the same doctor. During each appointment, the doctor makes some suggestions. The black woman disagrees and speaks up; the Hispanic woman disagrees and stays silent. Later, the black woman decides to switch physicians; the Hispanic woman does nothing. Stereotyping? Not at all. The scenario above […]
My surgeon and I are discussing his planned use of sutures. He is standing, leaning against a wall. I am opposite him, lying on a gurney in a hospital gown, the IV taped to my hand dripping antibiotics as the clock ticks down to when I’ll be wheeled into the operating room. This may not […]
Editor’s note: In the spirit of the holidays and promoting better health care, Michael cleverly penned these patient-centered carols. We offer our thanks and sing his praises for generously sharing these copyrighted ditties here. Copyright © 2015 by Michael L. Millenson. All rights reserved. A Shared Decision-Making Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas […]
Imagine you have hypertension, an often-symptomless disease, and you’re receiving a daily text message reminding you to take your pills. How would you react? Now, imagine you’re getting the same kind of text message related to schizophrenia, a serious psychiatric disorder. Would your reaction be the same? When evaluating technologies for patient engagement, the “who” […]
Imagine patient-centered care explained as a kind of updated Norman Rockwell painting. What you’d get is a recent PBS documentary, “Rx: The Quiet Revolution,” which, yes, uses a famous Rockwell image of a kindly family physician (Doctor and Doll) to set the stage for what follows. Putting Patient-Centeredness into Practice The 90-minute film, available for […]
A few years ago, I was upgraded to First Class on a flight from California back to Chicago. Not long after I settled in, a tall, muscular man easily four inches taller than me walked up to my aisle seat in the first row and prepared to sit by the window. I envisioned him spending […]
The process of engaging patients in making care safer should be seen through a Santa Claus lens. It can be naughty or nice, depending not on good intentions but on the specifics of the intervention. Seeking True Empowerment The key question is whether patients are being truly empowered or whether providers are passing the buck, […]
In the years since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) pronounced patient-centered care one of six core aims of a high-value system, its definition has broadened and become more prescriptive. The 2001 IOM report spoke loftily of “providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient […]