The Healthcare Crisis - Be Part of the Solution

The doctor replaced the antibiotic given in theover to the medical professionals. Instead of victims of
emergency room with two new antibiotics, forgettinga dysfunctional system, we need to think of ourselves
to note discontinuation of the first antibiotic in his chart.as part of the solution, becoming active knowledgeable
The nurse was prepared to administer all three, but byparticipants rather than passive by-standers waiting for
asking questions, his wife prevented the error. In theothers to care for us and fix all of the problems. So,
midst of recovering from kidney failure, he would havehow do we do this?
required dialysis the rest of his life had he received allBetter Management: Rather than approach our
three antibiotics. Results - poor quality of life and majorhealthcare by going to appointments and taking things
healthcare costs for him and his insurance company.as they come, we need to have good methods to
Dr. Brown ordered the same blood tests done by Dr.capture vital information and to manage every aspect
White three weeks earlier. The patient showed Dr.of our care efficiently and effectively. Electronic and
Brown the test results-consequently: no repeat tests,paper documentation systems, which are the first step
treatment plan developed, and no follow upin personal healthcare management, are available. Most
appointment.of these systems, however, only capture basic
In each scenario, costs were cut from the system. Ifinformation, but don't teach us how to use it or
one tenth, or 9 million, of the 90 million patients withempower us to take control of our care.
chronic conditions managed their care in a way thatNew Roles & Responsibilities: Knowledge and
cut just $100 from their charges each year, $900 millionknow-how empower us to be leaders and
dollars would be cut from system costs. That iscoordinators of our healthcare team and partners with
consumer power.each team member. In these roles, we are able to
Everyone-employers, government, medicalbetter communicate vital information in complete and
professionals, and insurance companies are working toaccurate stories. Our medical records are organized
cut costs from the healthcare system. Everyone, thatfor fingertip access. We are readily able to locate
is, except patients.important clues that reside in family history, prior
In his October 13, 2006 ABC Opinion article Makeillnesses, medications taken, tracked symptoms, and
Health Care Patient Driven, then Senator Bill Fristdocumented appointments with various doctors. We
spoke of his vision for a patient-centered andhave information captured in a way that helps us help
consumer-driven healthcare system. During the 2008the doctors think and pull the pieces of our health story
elections, we hear a lot of talk about personaltogether.
responsibility. It's time for patient and advocates to doQuality Care & Error Prevention: Studies show
their part to help cut health care costs. The missingthat actively involved and knowledgeable patients have
piece and heart of the matter is that this vision cannotbetter outcomes. They are part of the decision-making,
be realized unless we, as patients, take charge andtherefore are more likely to follow treatment plans, use
change our mindset about the medical system, ourmedication properly, and manage overall care better.
care, and our roles and responsibilities. We need toThey are also able to prevent many medical errors.
improve the way we manage every aspect of ourBetter Stewards-Save Money & Cut Costs:
care and become better stewards and consumers ofThree ways we can cut costs.
our healthcare resources. We must realize we do1) Question what we say yes to. Know why a test or
have the ability to improve the quality of our care,procedure is being ordered, other options available,
prevent medical errors, and cut costs.costs involved, and how the results will benefit us and
Mindset Change: Insured Americans have been poorhelp in decision-making, before we agree to proceed.
stewards of healthcare resources due to low2) Stop the duplication of tests by getting copies of
out-of-pocket expenses. We let the money flowtest results and tracking our care and asking questions.
without worrying good money management. After all,We don't have to wait for computerized record
the insurance company was paying. We lacksystems to become available.
knowledge. We have not been taught how to be3) Prevent one medical error and save thousands of
patients, therefore feel helpless to help ourselves ordollars in direct and indirect costs.
improve our part of the medical system. We need toWe, as patients and/or caregivers, can make a
educate ourselves about our bodies and the variousdifference, help change the system, and cut costs.
aspects of our conditions and stop handing control