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Engaged and Empowered

By David Kalainov, MD

I suspect that most of us have experienced symptoms of burnout in association with the requirements of providing high quality patient care in the face of rapid changes in health care (ICD-10, MIPS, APMs, vertical integration of healthcare systems, decreased autonomy, ER call, electronic health care records, hospital performance metrics of physician practices, patient ratings of physicians, increasing costs, declining reimbursements, licensure and certification requirements).  In addition, unpredictable personal hardships have likely compounded the stressors in many of our lives.

Personally, I have sought to gain a better understanding of what has been happening to the practice of medicine.  I became a self-student of laws that have influenced patient care.  I became more involved in the American Medical Association and I pursued membership in the MACRA authorized Physician Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee.  I was unsuccessful in my recent effort to join this committee; nevertheless, I met some very sharp and engaging physicians advocating for both patients and clinicians in Washington, D.C.

Furthermore, I decreased my practice volume one year ago to spend more time with my family and to pursue an MBA degree.  Learning business principles and the importance of a social network have helped me to understand some of the “why and how” changes that have occurred in medicine.  I feel more engaged and empowered.

My hand surgery group recently sold into a large multispecialty academic group.  We regularly approach our office manager and department chairman to recommend/request adjustments in our office infrastructure to maximize patient flow and to ease some of the time constraints of order entry, documentation, and coding.  A receptive administration can be/has been beneficial.

 

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