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 major concern
of mine for more than a decade and a focus of this issue of Momentum
has been the extent to which the health professions, and especially the
medical profession, have been on the defensive and losing ground in the
battle for influence and control over the future of health care. Although
I haven't been able to track down the author of this old adage, I have
long believed that "the best defense is a good offense."
The battle over the future of our health care system is decades old and includes many contestants -- health professionals, managed care organizations, large and small business interests (as payers), government at all levels, the legal system, the telecommunications and information management businesses, and of course, the patient. In short, almost every sector of society has a stake in the future of our health care system and is willing to fight for it. My concern is that the influence of the health professions has diminished at the very time when we should be taking leadership in this effort. Part of this is our own fault, and part is the result of larger societal forces. Over this last decade and for years before that, there have been a number of important issues raised publicly concerning our health care system and our roles and responsibilities as health professionals. These have included rapidly rising health care costs, inequitable and inadequate access to health care for many of our citizens, geographic and demographic disparities in the quality of care, and a fragmented, inefficient, and uncoordinated health system. Has the medical profession as a whole been adequately responsive to these diverse and public concerns? Overall, I would say, "No." I think we were complacent during the period of seemingly endless prosperity of fee-for-service medicine. As we transitioned to our current period of constrained resources and market-driven solutions for health care, the health professions have been overpowered and put on the defensive. Others, from accountants to business leaders, have taken the lead in addressing the most important public policy issues in health care. Unprepared to lead change, we have had change thrust upon us. Unprepared to lead change, we have had change thrust upon us. |
 
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However, I believe the tide is starting to turn. The health professions are battling back. At the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, we are leading by example with a proactive approach to re-empowering our health professionals: We have invested heavily in creating the facilities and resources necessary to professional success. We have reorganized our hospitals and consolidated our health care system. In The Emory Clinic, we are modernizing outworn business and practice models. We have initiated the Woodruff Leadership Academy to provide leadership training and skills development for faculty and staff. And we are creating new centers of discovery and pioneering care in cancer, vaccine development, the neurosciences, and elsewhere. As a result, everywhere there is evidence of Emory professionals mastering the business of medicine, developing new models of patient-centered care, and innovating in education and research. Traditional professional roles and values are being reassessed, and new models, including multidisciplinary and interprofessional frameworks, are being developed and refined. All of these advances and more indicate that professionals are battling back. We are creating and fostering leadership. I continue to believe that the best defense is a good offense. You can quote me on that! |
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Web version by Jaime Henriquez.