Dr Wade Grindle MD

Healthcare providers have a built-in bond between provider and patient. Patients sense when you sincerely care about them. The care and concern in a healthcare relationship doesn’t flow one way but in BOTH directions.

Whether it is with expressions of affection, a plate of home-cooked brownies, or an old-fashioned hug, most patients appreciate the genuine concern of a medical professional who takes the time to pay attention.

I heard Patch Adams speak at a medical conference a couple of years ago. He said that physician burnout occurs when the provider is not receptive to the compassion coming back from the patient. Granted, continuing pressure to see more patients in less time, for less money, is not conducive to a relaxed environment for a mutually caring interaction. I am no authority on health care reform. All I know is that I love being a doctor, and the feeling I get when a patient looks me in the eye and says “thanks, Doc” truly is priceless.

If health care reform is to improve quality, it follows that it must not mandate shorter visits by squeezing in more patients in less time. This is the end result of a recently enacted law in California mandating some HMOs to see all patients within a certain time frame (http://bit.ly/6AgQG8). Unless the number of primary care providers is increased, this is not the treatment of choice for what ails us.