Our medical profession has provided trusted care for so many years. Once upon a time your doctor consulted through life with you. They were there when you were a child, a teenager, they celebrated with you when you got married and had your own children. They knew your life story as well as your health. The question is, can the two be separated?
Our story, our family, our history, is all an integral part of who we are. We now know that our body, our mind and our emotions are intertwined and we cannot be compartmentalised.
What is the consequence of failing to value the intangible aspects of our medical care in the pursuit of free healthcare and profitability? Some medical centres are now pressured to run back-to-back, short, one person-one complaint sessions. There is even a 4 minute billing code now! Something has to give and we wonder what the cost will be to doctors, patients and our healthcare system? Unfortunately, long wait times, stressful workplaces, misdiagnosis and over prescription can become the new normal in a system focused on the bottom line. We get what we pay for.
Healthcare requires us to take a long-term view. The relationship between GP’s and their patients is an important one and the ‘story’ that is shared between them must be valued. At ATUNE we have a vision to place value back on medical care.
This Vision:
- Values our client’s time (we will run on time)!
- Treats a person not a condition.
- Extend consult time for better health outcomes.
- Ensures consistency with one (or small team) doctor for your health story.
- Truly integrated care - team work is the best medicine.
- Prevention medicine is better than cure medicine.
This is not new. It is what medicine set out to accomplish. Getting more out of your medical consults will not only benefit you, but will ultimately reduce the cost of healthcare in our nation. It doesn’t take much to change the rules of medical care. It just takes us, to place the value, on what really is important.
Article by Simon Ashley, CEO at ATUNE
