Since launch of “Who’s My Doctor” two weeks ago and my blogs in Huffington Post, British Medical Journal, and Psychology Today, I have had a number of queries. Many people want to know what is the reception to it so far. My next blog will address what doctors think about the total transparency initiative. This post focuses on our patients.
Here is what prominent
patient advocates have said about this campaign:
Patients and families increasingly understand
that health care varies. They want to know about the training, experience
and ultimately the quality and outcomes of the doctor's they choose.
"Who's My Doctor" and the "Total Transparency Manifesto"
are wonderful first steps towards this goal.
--Carol Cronin, Executive Director, Informed Patient Institute
We have a transparency law in Colorado
and the intent of the law is for consumers to have access to information
about their physicians including conflict of interests so they can make more
informed decisions. There is complete transparency regarding all 49 professions
under DORA. What Dr. Wen is proposing is just this without having to pass
legislation to make it a reality. Bringing to light vital physician
information should be a given. Physicians should not allow a conflict of
interest to influence their medical judgment. It is a human factor that it
does so why not eliminate the temptation. All health professionals have a
responsibility to their patients as well as to themselves.
--Patty Skolnik,
Executive Director, Citizens
for Patient Safety
Trust is vital for
relationships. Patients place their trust in their physicians. We trust
the information our clinicians share with us will be free of error, bias and
self-interest. Medical journals require disclosure statements and I believe the
same standard of transparency must also be provided for patients. Leonard Kish
reminds us “data enables decisions.” “Who’s My Doctor?” ensures patients
receive the necessary information needed to make informed decisions that impact
our health. I support Dr. Wen in her efforts to provide further transparency
for patients. I’m passionately supportive of this movement and as a patient
advocate have seen the need for this culture change for a long time.
--Lisa Fields, patient advocate and Co-Founder, Healthcare Leader Tweet Chat
Restoring integrity to
medicine is a very important project, and I salute Dr. Wen for taking the
initiative to start “Who’s My Doctor”. In the 21st century informed patients
want to know -- and deserve to know -- if their doctors have any potential
conflicts of interest. Commercial values pollute too much medical science and
clinical care, but many doctors are independent and put integrity and
professional values first. They will be proud to share their information on
this website and it can become an important resource.
--Leonore Tiefer, PhD, Co-organizer, Selling Sickness; Convenor, New View Campaign
“Who’s my Doctor” is an
innovative campaign that supports providers who want to demonstrate their
commitment to integrity and ethics in all patient interactions. The public
needs to know that the health care providers they entrust with their lives are
free from personal bias and professional conflicts of interest. To date,
finding this level of transparency about our providers has been close to
impossible. “Who’s my Doctor” is a way for providers to be proactive about the
information they share with patients and supportive of patient choices that
originate from a foundation of mutual respect and trust.
--Julia Hallisy, D.D.S., Founder, The Empowered Patient Coalition
In the ER, my patients
have responded positively to my disclosure. “I had no idea doctors get paid to
do more,” some said, while others were surprised: “I thought all doctors got
paid by drug companies.” Nobody has said, I wish you didn’t tell me, or why are
you explaining this to me. The other doctors who are joining this inaugural
campaign report similar anecdotes; you will be hearing their voices on this
blog in the coming months.
I’d love to know what
you think. Would you use “Who’s My Doctor”? What do you want to know about your
doctor?
5 comments:
Excellent exposure in this article - http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/813400?src=rss
Keep up the great campaign! It is surprising where the conflicts come from and I have had doctors just say - "Its none of your business."
I would love to know more. I have a couple of excellent docs and some that aren't. I would have wanted to know more about the ones who aren't before I went to them. They'll destroying my health.
Randy
Thank you, Bob! It's important to keep reminding our doctors that it IS our business. Our health, our bodies--definitely our business! Randy, thank you also for your affirmation. Please keep following the campaign!
I think the campaign for transparency is marvelous. How I long for a type of Wikileaks in medicine and clinical trials (while I am not so sure I care that much what doctors think about the campaign:) Many patients feel doctors have stood in the way of EMR's and great projects like Open Notes where the data shows the sharing of data and information with patients that helps their health. From our perspective it often feels as if doctors feel they have a type of discernment patients can't possibly understand...yet, they are being proven wrong. And because of their lack of vision and sharing some progress had to be regulated. I use Dollars for Docs to follow the money trail of doctors because our hospital website (Cleveland Clinic) doesn't put all the information there (kudos to them though for recently working with some of the programs you share and they have finally realized that complete transparency is not to be feared. Shining a light in the darkness seems scary, but it's enlightening on both sides of the medicinal aisle.
Dr. Wen’s proposal is in sync with the idea of existing laws that aim at giving consumers access to their doctor’s vital details, such as possible ties they might have to other interests. This eliminates any potentially uncomfortable associations with bribery and emphasizes the moral duty of practitioners towards their patients.
For interested people who are interested in transparency and would like clear health options it is worth visiting AWOL Vision Coupon for great discounts. As “Who’s My Doctor” allows you see through the healthcare system, AWOL Vision provides a high-quality assortment of products that will improve your vision and take care of your eyes.
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