In a recent Forbes article series, I described three mega forces soon to hit American medicine (i.e., healthcare inflation, nurse shortage, physician burnout). Like the perfect storm, these forces have the combined potential to create unprecedented disaster. Last month, I asked for your thoughts on these threats. Here are the results:
My thoughts: Practically everyone is concerned about rising healthcare inflation, the ongoing nursing shortage and the consequences of physician burnout. I am pleased so many readers see these problems as both urgent and important. That’s the first step to addressing the threats. The difficult question then is who will do something about it?
I hope readers are right that doctors and nurses will be the ones to drive positive change. I agree that these are the people who should do it, but I worry that rather than stepping up, they will wait for others to begin the process of change—and by then it will be too late. Wherever there is a void in leadership, someone always steps in to fill it. Unfortunately, it’s often not the best person (or organization) for the job.
To inspire clinicians to take the lead, I will be writing a series of articles on the “anatomy of leadership” in the coming weeks. These pieces will detail the ways clinicians can use their brains, hearts and spines to lead the transformation of healthcare and radically improve medical outcomes.
Thanks to those who voted. To participate in future surveys, and for access to timely news and opinion on American healthcare, sign up for my free (and ad-free) newsletter Monthly Musings on American Healthcare.
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Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, the nation’s largest physician group. He’s a Forbes contributor, bestselling author, Stanford University professor, and host of two healthcare podcasts. Pearl’s newest book, “Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors & Patients,” is available now. All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.
