Examining the Heuristic Relationship between Face-Time and Medical Negligence Lawsuits 

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA CMP™

www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com

[Editor-in-Chief]

Our colleague and blogger Kent Bottles MD has been thinking and posting about the emerging philosophy of “slow medicine”. Of course, health economists realize how complex and difficult it is to transform American health care so that we will enjoy lower per-capita costs along with increased medical care quality in our lives. Unfortunately, grass root practitioners have done just the opposite these last two decades or so. In other words, practicing “faster medicine” with assembly line efficiency relegating office visits to 15, 10 or even 7 minute increments etc, in order to compensate for diminishing MCO/HMO reimbursement. And, this may have been a financially acute perspective for modernity until now!

Defining the Obvious

Slow medicine is practiced by a small, but growing subculture whose pioneer and spokesperson is Dr. Dennis McCullough, author of the book My Mother, Your Mother [Embracing “Slow Medicine,” The Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones].

In other words, slow medicine is a philosophy and set of practices that believes in a conservative medical approach to both acute and chronic care. However, I believe there may be more to it than first perceived.

Link: http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2010/12/slow-medicine.html#comments

My Experiences

After serving as a medical expert witness in hundreds of malpractice cases [consulting, chart review, discovery depositions, trial appearances and sworn testimony] – both directly and indirectly and for both plaintiff and defendant doctors [predominately] – thru almost twenty year of private practice, my gut tells me the following:

“Patients do not sue doctors they personally like – they do sue doctors they do not like.”

In my opinion and experience, great clinical doctors are often sued while their lesser adept souls are not. Moreover, I believe this pleasing reduced liability relationships is enhanced by more patient face-time; not less. This is not a function of competency, but one of human relationships and “connectedness” with one’s caregiver. It will not be changed by eMRs, or more diagnostic tests [malpractice phobia] or procedures. It will be improved by intense physical examination, touching, eye contact, sympathy, empathy and time [aka: a TRUSTING relationship and pleasing bedside manner forged by TIME]. Period!

And so, for our business managers, CEOs and medical executive readers, let us compromise on terminology and call it “slower medicine.”

Assessment

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Insurance-Management-Strategies-Physicians-Advisors/dp/0763733423/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275315795&sr=1-3

Conclusion

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Filed under: Book Reviews, Career Development, Ethics, Op-Editorials, Professional Liability | Tagged: Dr. Dennis McCullough, HMOs, Kent Bottles MD, malpractice, medical lawsuits, medical negligence, slow medicine | 5 Comments »