An undercurrent at most healthcare innovation conferences is “what’s to be done with the doctors?”
It’s the same at this week’s World Health Care Congress in Washington, D.C. Dr. Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures told the audience on Tuesday that 50 percent of doctors are below average (it was supposed to be a critique but it’s actually a red herring: aren’t half of any group below average?). Plus, today’s physicians – so used to sitting at the center of the healthcare universe – find themselves orbiting it thanks to hospitals buying up private practices, increasing costs, big data making more decisions for them, and the fact that many are not oriented to be innovators and entrepreneurs. The reaction by physicians is often a deep frustration.
Dr. Craig Keyes, president of health management at Alere, found himself feeling like he was looking from the outside in nearly two decades ago. Keyes began his career treating underserved and uninsured HIV and AIDS patients in New York City. Among his patients in the early 1990s was his older brother, Bill.
Market Trends to Watch for Health Systems and Their Specialty Pharmacies
The future looks bright for the integrated specialty pharmacy model – for health systems, providers, and most importantly, for patients.
“He told me once that he hated the (healthcare) system and I told him I hated it, too,” Keyes said.
Then Keyes brother responded: But I thought this was your system?
“He told me, ‘Instead of lobbing grenades from the sidelines, go to business school and take a seat at the table.’ And so, I did.”
Bill Keyes died from complications related to AIDS in 1993. Keyes finished his MBA at the Columbia University School of Business three years later. He now leads health initiatives at Alere, which leverages diagnostic tests and new technology to help patients and doctors make better clinical decisions.
Transforming Patient Care: The Role of AI-Powered Assistants
The progress in artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping patient care, across various dimensions, from facilitating faster discharge to curating treatment plans and suggesting lifestyle changes.
“I see a lot of hope for physicians,” Keyes said Tuesday at the World Health Care Congress. “In the end of it all, there is something special about a relationship with a doctor. There’s a the power of a relationship, to guide people and to take a new approach to practicing medicine.”
Despite the changes coming to healthcare Keyes said doctors can still weave “the thrill of medicine into the fabric of their work.”