November marks the one-year anniversary of Monthly Musings On American Healthcare. Since starting MMOAH in November 2017, I’ve been honored to share relevant news and insights with nearly 10,000 readers each month while gathering important insights on healthcare’s most-pressing issues through these surveys.
This month, I’d like to get your thoughts on how to improve this newsletter and make it even more relevant to you in the future. Please answer each of the three questions below:
1. What have you enjoyed most about 'Monthly Musings On American Healthcare'? (select up to 3)
- Links to new articles (columns, op-eds, etc.) (35%, 29 Votes)
- My personal stories and career anecdotes (20%, 17 Votes)
- Feature stories on healthcare companies and patients (13%, 11 Votes)
- The monthly reader survey (12%, 10 Votes)
- Updates and excerpts from “Mistreated” (my book) (10%, 8 Votes)
- Links to new podcast episodes (8%, 7 Votes)
- Something else? (please tell me with a comment below) (1%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 38
Loading ...2. What topics would like to see more of in future issues of 'Monthly Musings'?
- Healthcare politics and policy (21%, 23 Votes)
- Solutions and success stories in healthcare (17%, 18 Votes)
- Leadership in healthcare (16%, 17 Votes)
- A round up of healthcare stories/articles I'm reading (14%, 15 Votes)
- Healthcare economics (10%, 11 Votes)
- Healthcare technology (10%, 11 Votes)
- The business of healthcare (mergers, innovations, etc.) (9%, 10 Votes)
- Other (comment below, please) (4%, 4 Votes)
Total Voters: 39
Loading ...- The goal of Monthly Musings is to spark change and drive conversations about the American healthcare system. In the space below, please share any suggestions you might have for helping me reach a larger and more diverse audience with this newsletter. All thoughts are welcome and will be kept confidential (the name and email fields are optional).
October Reader Survey Results
Last month, I asked readers about the BEST and MOST REWARDING aspects of working in healthcare. Here are the results of the survey and a small sample of the personal anecdotes I received.
I’m impressed by the feedback, given the confidentiality of this survey. The challenges and demands of the current system are great, and yet people find the mission-driven aspects of healthcare most rewarding. They appear optimistic about the future, willing to teach and encourage those who are committed to pursuing this great profession. I’ve long believed that the financial rewards need to afford healthcare professionals a reasonable living. But that’s not the reason we invest years in training and long hours each week. We do it so that we can care for others, grow with our colleagues and solve important problems.
At the end of last month’s survey, I welcomed readers to share a memory or story that speaks to the rewarding nature of working in healthcare. Here are my favorite responses from the dozens submitted:
“I’ve been privileged to work on a large-scale project that has decreased colorectal cancer mortality by 50% for patients in my health system. I’ve also had the chance to meet patients every day who tell me that a small thing I did changed their life in a meaningful way. I once got a thank-you note from the wife of a patient who died of esophageal cancer, thanking me for taking the time to talk with them about what to expect. She sent this note 10 years after his death.”
“I worked in a big medical center. Having subspecialists and internists immediately available to consult in the morning on rounds, at lunch and in their offices improves patient care. Caring for the patient is number one. It’s intellectually satisfying to watch an ID (infectious disease) doc, a hematologist and a rheumatologist tackle a complex autoimmune disease, with clotting and infection problems, because they care. I just hope all physicians can experience what I have in my practice.”
“I am a hospitalist and I feel most appreciated, with a great sense of pride and contentment, when I am rounding on the wards. I feel so encouraged when patients and families express their gratitude even when the outcome is not positive. It makes me want to do more for the next patient. The work is tough and demanding but overall very rewarding.”
“The challenge and intellectual stimulation of medicine – specifically, difficult diagnostic challenges and difficult therapeutic challenges – are what kept me going. Income, respect and relationships are not motivating factors for me.”
“Working in IT support for a laboratory made me realize how important it is to have the correct label on test tubes, and how missing a digit in the MRN (medical record number) or order number can change someone’s life. Fixing missing orders and solving lab staff queries are most rewarding to me as I can see how mistakes can impact a person’s life.”
* * *
Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, the nation’s largest physician group. He’s the bestselling author of “Mistreated: Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care–And Why We’re Usually Wrong” and a Stanford University professor. Follow him on Twitter @RobertPearlMD.
Kaiser needs to take a stand on gun control and support the ACP