“Hey Curmudge, I’ve been reading about the differences between cognitive and procedural specialists. Do different types of physicians need to be better team players than others?”
“Let’s start with definitions, Julie. The cognitive docs—like the primary care physicians and internists—listen, diagnose, prescribe, and communicate. The procedural specialists—such as surgeons and gastroenterologists—perform procedures and usually don’t need to communicate as much. Of course, they are the extremes on a continuum with emergency medicine docs in the middle. There is also an artistry continuum with the skilled surgeons—especially plastic surgeons—at he upper end.”
“I think I see where you are heading, Curmudge. Although the surgeon must communicate with his/her OR team, the patient’s outcome is, for the most part, in his hands. That contrasts with a doc in a patient-centered medical home who personally might not even see the patient and whose whole team are involved in the patient’s care. There’s not much artistry there, but there’s a lot of teamwork.”
“Nevertheless, Julie, physicians of all stripes need to learn enough about teamwork to apply it appropriately to their own practice. They especially need to embrace the ‘respect-for-people’ Lean mindset and carry it to their team or even solo practice. Shall we discuss how that might be accomplished in our next posting?”
"You hobble on ahead, Old Guy, and I’ll meet you there.”
Kaizen Curmudgeon
No comments:
Post a Comment