MedCity Influencers

Seven survival strategies for doctors in the new world of healthcare reform

It is with great pleasure that I offer the following guest post from Edward J. Schloss, MD, (Twitter ID @EJSMD) the medical director of cardiac electrophysiology at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. One of the many rewards of writing a blog is making friends. Jay Schloss started as a ‘social media’ friend but now that [...]

It is with great pleasure that I offer the following guest post from Edward J. Schloss, MD, (Twitter ID @EJSMD) the medical director of cardiac electrophysiology at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH.

One of the many rewards of writing a blog is making friends. Jay Schloss started as a ‘social media’ friend but now that we have met, had dinner and communicate regularly, I consider Jay a regular bud.  We share many of the same interests: electrophysiology, endurance sports (Jay is runner), writing (see his many guest posts on Cardiobrief) and of course, we both strive to master the obvious.

I was honored that Jay sent me these seven tips for survival in the new healthcare climate. They were in response to my post yesterday on Healthcare reform’s disruptive effects on doctors. Although Jay’s words speak directly to doctors, I believe they are congruent with the goals of this blog–to educate, to give a look behind the curtain, to archive useful information and ultimately, yes, to better mankind. Thanks again, Jay.

Tips for survival in the new healthcare environment

By Dr. Jay Schloss

1. Good Tech: It’s time to admit much of your job is now data entry. If that’s the case, you should arm yourself with the best technology to make this job palatable. For me that means using my own computer. I have a very fast Apple MacBook Air that I run on the hospital WiFi network. This comes with me from room to room. There are no log-in/log-outs as I move. Keystroke macros automate many tasks. Reboots and crashes are rare. I’m facing the patient when I’m working and I never have to worry about finding a free workstation. In my office, I’m working at a stand-up desk (www.geekdesk.com). This keeps my legs fresh and back straight. In the hospital, I’m working standing, seated, in patient room, in the elevator, in the cafeteria, wherever I want.

2. Minimize the BS: Don’t confuse box checking with delivery of health care. Sail through the BS as quickly as you can. Save your creative juices for the parts of your documentation that people actually read. Don’t waste your time making things look perfect. Just focus on meeting regulatory compliance and not setting yourself up for a lawsuit.

3. Delegate: No way you can do all of this yourself. Cultivate relationships with high quality individuals and delegate tasks. Your job is to be the quarterback, not the whole team.

4. Don’t Bill for Everything: Sometimes it’s appropriate to give away billing, as long as you provide high quality care. If you’re pressed for time, skip all the painful documentation. Assess the problem, communicate what you know to the patient and the referring doctor, write a quick note and don’t bill anything. You are serving your mission to provide high quality care and saving the health care system a few bucks at the same time.

5. Mobilize Support for Change: Do your job, but don’t take all this lying down. Doctors got into this mess by not speaking up. If we continue to roll over, it’s only going to get worse. Make yourself a positive agent of change. Speak up in emails, meetings, and hall conversations with administrators. Get a voice in social media. Start a blog. Write a few tweets. Because most of your colleagues are as passive as deer in the path a truck, your voice can be heard.

6. Find a Professional Outlet: As our work becomes more and more devalued, it’s easy to start feeling unimportant. All of us thrive on achievement and approval. If direct patient care is losing some of its meaning, add something else. Step up involvement in research, do some consulting (give away the money if you are concerned about conflicts of interest), give a talk, do charity work, write some blog comments.

7. Hold Fast to Your Values as a Doctor: No matter how bad it gets, do not . . . I mean DO NOT let go of your values as a caregiver. The people evaluating you may not value the same things you do. You know that quality metrics do not ensure quality. Keep doing the extra stuff that regulators don’t notice or measure. If that means seeing fewer patients, then so be it. Each patient you treat needs to have you at your best.


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John Mandrola, MD

Dr. Mandrola's post originally appeared on his website.

Dr. Mandrola is a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm disorders. He writes about doctoring and cycling at www.drjohnm.org and is a regular columnist at theHeart.org.

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