Healthcare Efficiency, Does It Exist?
INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed Dr. David Wilcox.
Health Transparency: The Real Truth with Dr. David Wilcox
Even with the latest airline mishaps, flying still remains safer than driving an automobile. That is no accident as aviation saw the need to implement system checklists after the tragic crash of the Boeing Model 299 (later the B-17 Flying Fortress) in 1935. This incident highlighted the challenges of operating increasingly complex aircraft and led to the development of checklists as a means of standardizing procedures and ensuring crucial steps were not missed. This strategy has worked well with the aviation industry.
Healthcare would be wise to study this model as preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death followed closely behind heart disease and cancer. Let that sink in for a minute.
The question is why do preventable medical errors still occur given the medical knowledge we have and the skill of our clinicians? To examine the possible causes we have to understand what happens in the workflow, or the steps clinical staff follow to take care of patients.
For instance, if you have to go to the emergency department (ED) there is a check-in process. The registration clerk checks you in and you are added to a list for a nurse or provider to triage you. If there is a room in the back of the ED you are escorted to it and the nurse comes in to collect information from you before the doctor sees you. If there isn’t a room available you will be sent back to the waiting room until there is. This is the standard workflow for every hospital in the American Healthcare System and if followed correctly it works extremely well.
This workflow, or steps clinical staff follow was created by clinicians to avoid medical errors and mapped out in workflow diagrams. As I share in my book “How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System” when I went to the ED with an abscess with symptoms of a high fever, fatigue, and chills which are the early stages of sepsis, that system broke down.
After being triaged I was prescribed an antibiotic. When the pharmacy tech went to the medication dispensing machine that antibiotic wasn’t available. So I was sent back to the waiting room with the promise of receiving it as soon as they could obtain it. Fast forward six hours later and I still hadn’t received it. My condition was worsening and being a medical professional I know it’s very important to treat initial signs of sepsis early. I finally received the antibiotic and was taken to the back to be seen by the doctor.
While this is a mild medical error it’s a good example of a system issue that wasn’t examined. System issues in healthcare clinical areas refer to problems within the healthcare system itself that impact the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care. These issues are not just individual errors but stem from factors like poor processes, inadequate resources, or outdated technologies.
The poor process that led me to wait over six hours for an antibiotic was due to the triage workflow not considering what would happen if the medication wasn’t available. Couple that with a busy ED and it’s a recipe for a medical error. While many factors created this issue, it could have been looked at proactively and avoided.
I have spent much of my career examining workflow and system issues like the one I just described. There is a real need for expertise in healthcare to examine the workflow steps a clinician follows, with clinical input, and plan for unexpected breaks in the system such as the one I experienced.
For this reason, I have joined a group of very talented people at MAKE Solutions as their Chief Clinical Officer to work on clinical efficiency to reduce medical errors. It’s a huge task but like the aviation industry, it is not impossible. MAKE Solutions main focus is creating greater efficiencies for bedside clinicians and patient outcomes using technology, data, processes, leadership, and operational changes.
System issues require change of process, workflows, and culture all of which will be crucial to decreasing preventable medical errors. It also requires patients receiving healthcare to be proactively educated in how to navigate the complexities of the American Healthcare System to avoid having a medical error occur to them. If we marry both of these concepts we can truly make a difference in the American Healthcare System.
Learn more at https://makesolutionsinc.com/.
According to a statement, “Healthcare is complex and that is not an accident. It is complex by the healthcare entities vying for your healthcare dollars. Covid has exacerbated the American Healthcare System, which was fragile, to begin with. Many clinicians are leaving healthcare due to burnout. How does the average layperson navigate the complexities of the American Healthcare System where a prescription could cost you $5 at one pharmacy and $500 at another? What does the average layperson do when their insurance company rejects their claim? Proactive education of the American Healthcare System prior to accessing it is the key to safely navigating the healthcare system. Until now, little information has been available to provide the layperson with the knowledge they need to be a better partner in their health care. Dr. David Wilcox’s book How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival” is a game-changer and will provide you with the skill set you need to navigate the American Healthcare System.
Website: https://drdavidwilcox.com/
Dr. Wilcox is a Doctorate prepared nurse who also holds a Masters in Health Administration and is Board Certified in Nursing Informatics. Dr. Wilcox has 28 years of healthcare experience in which he worked as a bedside nurse, hospital administrator, and in healthcare information technology which has helped him to develop his unique perspective on the American Healthcare System.
Dr. Wilcox is the author of the book “How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival (2021)” available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578878364
Dr. Wilcox currently resides in North Carolina with his wife and their three dogs.
Dr Wilcox’s website: Dr. David Wilcox – Healthcare, American Healthcare System (drdavidwilcox.com)
Connect with Dr. David Wilcox on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-wilcox-48631113/
X/Twitter: @DrDavidHelps
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