Call Us: (800) 500-1332

Risk Management Tip

COVID-19: A Call for Innovation and Leadership in Healthcare

Insight Article Graphic

By Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Doctors Company, and Leader of the TDC Group of Companies 

 

Across the continuum of care during COVID-19 pandemic, what has changed is not so much the direction of healthcare evolution, but its speed. For the next decade, we will all be carried along on a jet stream of change. Those who innovate and lead—moving their organizations forward as the landscape continues to change—will succeed, while those unable to do so will be left behind. Ask yourself a simple question: will the practice of good medicine in 2030 look the same as good medicine in 2020?

  • The pandemic has forced a growing majority of practices to offer telemedicine services. A study released by the American Medical Association (AMA) in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit the U.S. hard, revealed that telemedicine visits with physicians had already doubled from 2016 to 2019.1 With COVID-19, the number of patients reporting virtual healthcare visits leapt from 12 to 27 percent in less than three months, between late March and mid-May.
  • As baby boomer physicians retire and medical students choose other specialties,3 a shortage of primary care physicians4 was already looming. Now, some primary care physicians have had to lay off staff or close their practices—We’ve seen nonemergency providers and specialties not related to COVID-19 suffer massive economic losses. Unsurprisingly, some primary care physicians are considering other professional options.5
  • The increasing scope of practice for allied health professionals was an established trend—now dramatically accelerated by the crush of events. We can expect this to continue for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and others. They will help to fill gaps in primary care, while primary care physicians can expect to practice6 at the top of their license more of the time.

The good news is we already possess much of the information we need to make adaptive decisions to protect patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations that serve the medical profession. However, healthcare professionals must seize this moment to show true innovation and to move forward.

True innovation has at least two stages: The first is generating novel and useful ideas and the second is applying those ideas. Unless you apply and scale the idea, it’s just an idea. It’s not an innovation. For example, researchers in California7 are studying data from massive pools of volunteers who have offered their smart watch and smart ring information. The goal is to spot geographic clusters of people showing small boosts in heart rate, temperature, and so on—in an attempt to predict the next cluster of COVID-19 cases before people even know they’re sick. But it’s one thing to think this is possible, and another to actually do it. That’s the gap between idea and innovation.

This pivot from idea to application at scale calls for leaders to reflect on how their style suits the moment. Most leaders have a clear style of leadership, but good leaders also know that one style cannot be expected to cover all situations. Individuals who perform well in one job or one decade may not do well in new leadership roles under different circumstances: Effective leaders must understand what is required at that particular time, not just what is comfortable.

The new normal will evolve in the context of a decade that was already headed for extraordinarily rapid change. With a mindset of openness to opportunity and a willingness to accept new challenges, we can meet the demands for great healthcare. After all, pressed by COVID-19’s cascade of emergencies, many healthcare and healthcare-supporting organizations have assembled people, equipment, and processes that we would not have imagined possible even a few months ago. At the same time, the COVID-19 crisis casts a harsh light on some areas of healthcare that have fallen dramatically short of the nation’s needs.

It is our collective responsibility to innovate to advance the practice of good medicine.

The guidelines suggested here are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must be made by each healthcare provider considering the circumstances of the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.

--------------------
Contributed by The Doctors Company (thedoctors.com)

 

The Opioid Epidemic: A Closed Claims Analysis

To take a deeper look at the opioid crisis, The Doctors Company reviewed 272 malpractice claims in which patient harm involved opioids. This video discusses the claims study findings and safe prescribing tips.

 

By clicking “Accept All Cookies,” you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site performance, and analyze site usage. You are able to update your cookie settings at any time by toggling "Cookie Settings" in this banner or the "Cookie Settings" link located in the footer of this site. Cookie Policy.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies cannot be disabled

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms.


You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.


Cookies:
  • Cart Viper
  • Cloudflare
  • DNN
  • GDRP Cookie Consent Viper
  • Microsoft

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.


All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and we will not be able to monitor its performance.


Cookies:
  • __utma
  • __utmb
  • __utmc
  • __utmt
  • __utmz
  • _ga
  • _gads
  • _gid

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.


If you do not allow these cookies, then some or all of these services may not function properly.


Cookies:
  • DNNSTUFF_Aggregator
  • Google Maps - 3rd Party

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites.


They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.


Cookies:

Currently we are not utilizing these types of cookies on our site.