Americans spend much less on primary care (as a percentage of total health care spending) than any developed country, and more of our economy is based on health care than any developed country. Yet we have the lowest life expectancy and highest suicide rates. What gives?
A patient shared with me today that she used to wait months to see her doctor, only to be told that they would only discuss one problem per visit. She said, “They didn’t take into account that I am a whole person.” Today we discussed her recent lab results as well as physical exam findings and came up with the beginnings of a plan to address the symptoms that are troubling her every day. And we will meet again next week to fine-tune this plan. She understands we will continue to work this out together until we get it right.
If value is defined as Quality divided by Cost, how much value are you getting for your health care dollar today?