Photo Friday: Patient Involvement Makes People Smile

Patient Panel - California Chronic Care Conference - 3

I had a few great photographs to choose from for this week’s Photo Friday, they were of colleagues and friends from this week’s California Chronic Care Conference. Those are posted below. I chose this one to be “the” photograph though – the one of the conference attendees.

Why? Because when I downloaded this one it was different than a typical picture of people at a conference. Look at their faces – they are smiling. They are smiling because they are attending a panel of patients talking about their experiences in and out of health care managing their conditions. The panel was moderated by Alan Glaseroff, MD, and it demonstrated how much energy people get from knowing how their work impacts others. It’s a Toyota Motor principle that I mention often (do I need to stop?) – “Seeing the impact of what you do.”

Thanks to the California Healthcare Foundation for hosting the conference with this idea in mind, and for doing things differently, including no powerpoint slides. Some of the other photographs from this week are below. Enjoy.

Left to right: ePatients and Doctors: Ted, Susannah (Fox), Dave, Sal Volpe, MD; Patient Panel, California Chronic Care Conference; Jay Parkinson, MD, and Susannah Fox.

11 Comments

I'll post something to e-patients.net as soon as I get my feet on the ground, but here are some favorite moments:

Mark Smith, MD, president and CEO of CHCF: The health care reform debate is about financing. We need to transform care within the box that is the current finance structure — think inside the box, don't make wish lists for other people, think about what *we* can do.

Hunter Gatewood, CA Health Care Safety Net Initiative: To move from the mad-scientist/play phase of system transformation, engage people who do not want to change.

Lisa Johnson, MD, SF Dept of Public Health: Data brings issues down to a concrete level. Add all patients to the registry and sort it out later instead of picking & choosing at the outset. Also: mandate use of an innovation, make it useful & attractive, showcase people who use it well.

Diane Stewart, CA Quality Collaborative: Recruit change leaders from the group of people who never raise their hands.

Nancy Ortiz, patient advisor: My doctor's first words at my first visit set the tone, "How can I help you?" But the major challenge of living with a chronic disease is that you never get a day off.

Suzy Menjivar, patient advisor: Recently dx'd with diabetes after years in the field: Now I had to practice what I preach — and I'm in love with carbohydrates!

Ardes Gardner, patient advisor: I ran from diabetes for 10 months. Providers: don't stop repeating the information, never think your work is in vain. Thank you for constantly shoving that information in my face.

More to come…

Jan,

Nice. Does this flip work equally, or differently?

"Patient involvement creates better chronic disease care."

Why stop:

"Involved patients produce better chronic disease outcomes."

or

"Engaged chronic disease patients turn out better."

(My gut thinks any "7 words" entry should have a syllable limit.)

Thanks!

Seven words about the California HealthCare Foundation's Better Ideas in Action chronic disease care conference:

Listen to patients. Use data to improve.

Ted Eytan, MD