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BLOG: A time to reflect
This month marks a turning point in American history. No matter what political position you may have held prior to the election, you will need to reevaluate your thoughts and ideas as we all face a new reality.
The extreme celebrations by the right and the “end of the world” protests by the left are not justified in either case. This new leader was elected by many people who just wanted to see a change in the “same old, same old” political battles and stalemated results.
We have already seen that our new president is willing to reconsider and change his mind based on new information or a new look at an old situation. Unlike so many leaders before him, he has not arrived at the top with a huge list of special interest backers that will be looking for a “payback” now that he is in office. He will give us all a fresh perspective.
Of course, for us as health care providers, there is a justifiable concern that things are about to change. But with a fresh look at our industry, it may be a change for the better. What started as a full-scale repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare,” has already modulated to selected changes with efforts to keep the part of the law that has improved access to care and abolish the parts that have failed.
Well, that does not sound so bad. In fact, that is what the proponents of the law have been saying all along. Perhaps I should send the new president a copy of my blogs to give him a better perspective on the changes in health care from the optometric perspective. I am sure that he would enjoy and be enlightened by, “Where is the resistance to health care reform?” or “Who is driving the boat?” Mr. President, you are correct, it is time for a fresh look at health care in America.
I had a recent opportunity to see the innerworkings of the health care system with the hospitalization of a family member. I expected to see vast improvements in communication and coordination of care. What with new technology, the Internet and all the efforts of health care reform, how could it not be better?
I had a stunning shock and rude awakening. It was far worse than I could ever imagine. Every doctor that was involved was a super specialist and did not listen to the patient or any of the other super specialists. Each looked only at their area of expertise and when they saw that no procedures were appropriate for them, they bowed out with no opinions or reports. The hospital, for their part, was only concerned that all relevant billing and coding were performed and that the discharge was accomplished for maximal payment. In spite of good intentions, the health care reforms have not been well conceived or executed in a way that would be effective. It is indeed time for a fresh look at health care in America.
In optometry, we have many of the same problems. As discussed in “Is there something rotten in the state of Denmark?” efforts of health care reform have not been successful in improving care.
As with the system at large, new technology and the Internet have not improved our performance in communication and collaboration. Electronic records have led to cloning one visit after the other and just sending an electronic copy of the cloned chart to another provider who will never read it or would not understand it if they did read it. The majority of optometrists and still not measuring vital signs and not reviewing them or including them in the management plan if they do collect them. It is indeed time for a fresh look at optometry’s role in health care in America.
This is a great time for both personal and professional reflection. It does not matter how you voted, America has spoken, and this lesson in the democratic process is an opportunity to reconsider the elements of health care reform.
How can we develop and implement practical reforms that will serve to harness technology and the Internet to improve patient outcomes? How can we encourage our optometric colleagues to move beyond the phoropter and use their medical training to see the larger picture of their patient’s health? How can we help other health care providers understand that vision is more than 20/20 and that problems with eye movements and binocular vision can be the source of symptoms in traumatic brain injury?
Reflection is a good thing, a healthy thing and part of personal and professional growth.