Why U.S. Healthcare Isn’t Better At Getting Better
I am convinced more than ever that we need to stop waiting for some external force bigger than ourselves to fix all our problems.
– Sachin H. Jain, Contributor, Forbes Healthcare
5 Dominant Hypotheses in Public Discourse About Why Healthcare Hasn’t Gotten Better:
- How we pay for care
- Our lack of universal coverage
- The fragmented nature of our information systems
- The failure of antitrust enforcement
- The failure of diffusion of information on how to improve
With forces as big as these at play, our minds usually go to advocating for, hoping for, wishing for some bigger, fundamental reform or disruptive event. For every solution—if ever it comes—comes with its own incompleteness, unintended consequences, costs, and added complexities. A new set of problems for us to address. And in each case—we might find ourselves waiting a long time for solutions to emerge.
Who Will Make the System Better?
If we, the physicians, want it to be different, then we need to be the ones who lead it that way. We are who we are waiting for.
If the people in one of the most challenging professions don’t have the ability to lead change—then what will others do without the resources and capability and intelligence behind them?
A few well-intentioned people can make a difference.
Leadership is the act of sometimes sacrificing one’s own personal or institutional interest to advance the greater good.
We must assume this important role as change-leaders in this critical time in the evolution of our profession.