While waiting for a complementary movie to start at a huge patient appreciation event, I read a few pages of Andre Picard’s new book on Canadian healthcare: The Path to Healthcare Reform.
My kids’ orthodontic clinic puts on an annual patient appreciation event renting out an entire Cineplex centre showing 2 popular movies on 12 different screens. The clinic staff serve popcorn and drinks and host a Christmas food drive at the same time. A few thousand kids and family show up to enjoy the event.
Before the movie starts, the staff get up in front of each packed out theatre to tell everyone how much they appreciate being part of our lives. And they mean it!
Picard’s book provided a stark contrast and suggestions for change.
Patients in Publicly Funded Healthcare
Public systems see patients as costs, not customers. Many view them as entitled expenses in an inefficient, union dominated, government-run, tax-funded system. For many providers, life would be great if it wasn’t for all the patients.
Imagine the 200 providers of a large Canadian emergency department volunteering to host a patient appreciation event. Could you see them talking with patients:
“Thanks so much for coming to our department!”
“We are so honoured that you chose us to help out when you needed it.”
“We wanted to give back just a tiny bit of what you’ve given to us.”
“We know you could have gone elsewhere. Thanks for choosing us!”
“Because of you, we have great jobs!”
Pretty far fetched?
In Canada, we risk seeing patients as undeserving recipients of our altruism.
What needs to change? How can we put patients back at the centre of the system? (I’ll share my thoughts in the next post.)
(Photo credit: http://www.divinedentalworks.com/)