Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 41 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 9/27/15

'Paging Dr. Doctivity': Medicine Evolves Into a Business Model

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   7 comments

Business decisions have overtaken the art and science of health care
Business decisions have overtaken the art and science of health care
(Image by Images_of_Money)
  Details   DMCA


by Walter Brasch

Beneath a three-column headline in my local newspaper was a barely-edited press release.

That's not unusual. With the downsizing of newsrooms, there's more room for wire service soft features and press releases. But this one caught my attention.

SystemCare Health in New Jersey promoted a graduate of a college in my town to the lofty position of Senior Director of Doctivity.

I checked the dictionary--"Doctivity" didn't exist. I checked WebMD, the website for amateurs to learn the meaning of unpronounceable medical terms--and how to recognize their symptoms and treatments. Nothing there.

That left SystemCare Health's website, which spewed a barrage of buzzwords and useless gibberish, the kind that people in marketing and business think will impress those who speak fluent English.

The company says it works with major health systems and medical colleges, giving them insight and "strategic brand platforms, service line business building programs, and breakthrough creative ideas so our clients experience real market-moving results [to] increase physician productivity, streamline operations and strategically acquire new patients." I assume there is little difference between strategically acquiring new patients and an Army sniper strategically acquiring his target in combat.

After wading through the mission of the company, I plunged into the swamp of Doctivity, which the company claims is "woven into a health system's culture to create a repeatable process that provides visibility and accountability for the time it takes a new physician to break even [and] eliminates functional silos." Since "functional silos" are probably what exist in field of cow manure, I was able to reaffirm my initial impressions about the company, and moved forward.

Forward led me to learn that the company "delivers a personalized business plan for every new physician so they can reach their financial goals faster," and that "Physician productivity is at the forefront of most profitability discussions." Unfortunately, somewhere in those left-over functional silos, "It can take 18-24 months or more for a new physician to reach a break-even point (where they are covering their salaries)." But, with layers of Doctivity, which SystemCare Health says is an "innovative business approach that improves physician productivity," physicians "are hitting their financial goals faster."

The psycho-marketing babble splashes website visitors with explanations-- "Internal processes sometimes are burdened with lack of resources as well as market and operational constraints to successfully improve new physician productivity and strengthen retention," and because of Doctivity, "Physicians reach their financial goals much sooner and better understand their new organization, their business and how the organization intends to market them to build a successful practice. Happy doctor = happy patients." That last sentence, surgically cut out of a fortune cookie, could mean that SystemCare Health brings clowns and comics into physicians' offices and operating suites. Physicians who are laughing at uterine cancer, multiple sclerosis, and aortic aneurysms will lead to patients who are so happy about their conditions they are willing to pay their physicians even more so everyone is happy. It could also mean that SystemCare Health might apply "synergy" with pharmaceutical companies to assure they bring plenty of happy food to meetings with physicians. It could also mean productivity increases with the better use of computers and software, which requires physicians to look at screens more than they look at patients. Possibly, happiness is that SystemCare Health has someone on its staff whose job is to make sure that physicians, who can get depressed at workloads and corporate demands, are able to get the proper mood elevators to improve their happiness quotient.

Under the Doctrine of Doctivity, health care has evolved from care and compassion to the surgical sterility of a business model, where liquidity, maximizing profits, and return on investment become the fabric and glue of health care practices.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 6   Well Said 3   Valuable 3  
Rate It | View Ratings

Walter Brasch Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Walter Brasch is an award-winning journalist and professor of journalism emeritus. His current books are Before the First Snow: Stories from the Revolution , America's Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government's Violation of (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Twelve Angry White People: Jury Nullification in a Pennsylvania Coal Town

Baffled, Befuddled, and Bamboozled: Penn State Trustees and NCAA are Sinking

Truckin' to Treason: The Hot Air of Secession

Keystone XL, Through Transcanada, Uses Eminent Domain to Seize Texan's Land

Former OEN Managing Editor Files Lawsuit Against Philly Police, City. Charge: Constitutional Violations in Her Arrest

Rush to Judgment: Talk Radio's 'Truth Detector' Blows a Fuse--Again

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend