September 2022 News

Dr. John McB. Hodgson

SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS

THE DOCTOR'S CORNER

 
   
Thanks for connecting with Hodgson Leadership Solutions. It’s been a busy summer, but I hope you are doing well and also had some down time with family and friends.     
 
As we head into the fall, our September Newsletter focus is on practical ways we can improve our work environment.

     As I am sure you know, healthcare providers are at especially high risk, with some research suggesting our risks are almost doubled. Our chronic exposure to stress can cause physical and emotional exhaustion, dulling of caring responses to patients, and negatively impact our personal relationships.

     While we are at greater risk of burnout, it is not inevitable.  There are practical steps we can take to create a less hostile work environment and improve our quality of life as well as the quality of the healthcare we deliver.

Serving with you,

 

 

John McB. Hodgson, MD, MSCAI

WHAT’S NEW?

heathcare education, Healing the System: A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Hearts of Healthcare Providers, healthcare consultants, Dr. John McB. Hodgson

Just Released!
Healing the System - A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare
by John McB. Hodgson, MD 

If you are frustrated and fatigued with an impersonal, administrative-heavy system, long work hours, ad lack of respect and autonomy, this book will encourage you with practical solutions to challenges that plague our healthcare systems.

Amazon Rankings
#1 in Physician & Patient Caregiving
#1 in Health Risk Assessment
#1 in Health Care Delivery

One of our first reviews:

“Well worth the time to read and carefully consider the reality of the problems we face in healthcare. It contains some extremely practical and, indeed, pragmatic approaches to resolving or lessening the dysfunction.”

Lorick Fox, MPAS, PA-C, AACC 
 
My goal in writing this book was to attempt to address issues that we actually have control over and which we can impact with simple changes to the way we approach care.  Rather than expect government to “reform healthcare” I believe that we are far better equipped to make changes on the front lines that can impact our work environment, that of our administrator colleagues and, most importantly, the patients we care for.

Healing the System – A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare

by Dr. John McB. Hodgson

Chapter 1 – How We Got Here
“Rather than being practitioners of the mission to serve the poor and ill, we have become a mechanism to ensure sufficient income and economic viability.”

 

COMPLIMENTARY RESOURCES – cOACHING WHITEPAPER

 “Packing as much as possible into each day may be good for the bottom line, but it is short-sighted, and we are now all paying the price for overlooking community-building.  We do not have to practice in an environment that feels increasingly hostile, isolated, and uncomfortable. Those days can be behind us.”
     

Professional coaching is underutilized in medicine.  We experience very busy schedules, make life altering decisions, and fight fatigue every day. Having someone who can look at the big picture and help us navigate can result in many positive outcomes.

Just SIX healthcare coaching sessions for 88 practicing Mayo Clinic physicians improved quality of life, resilience, job satisfaction, engagement and meaning at work.  Read the results of the randomized clinical trial.

You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC

Medical Necessity?

cardiology

Cardiology Care and Medical Necessity

I have been providing cardiology care for patients for years.  Today was an example of how challenging providing high quality cardiology care has become. I sent a patient for emergency open heart surgery today.   He should have gone last week.  Why didn’t he?  “Medical necessity” is why.   When I saw him in the office it was clear he was having classic angina related to coronary atherosclerosis.  I have 40 years of experience in diagnosing this. In days past, I would have set him up for a cardiac catheterization the next morning.  But insurance did not deem it “medically necessary” since he had not yet had a stress test.  To avoid him being stuck with a large unpaid bill, we set him up for a stress test.  Of course, that had to have prior insurance authorization as well, taking another few days.  After that, we had to wait for an opening in the stress testing schedule.  All told, it would be three weeks before he could have a stress test to prove that he needed a heart catheterization. 

Yesterday, he called my office to report that he was running out of nitroglycerine since he was using up to 10/day and unable to do anything without chest pain.  I abandoned my patience with the insurance company and had him come to the emergency room for admission.  On arrival he already had elevated heart enzymes and then required a nitroglycerine drip for pain control.  At his catheterization today he had severe left main coronary disease.  Fortunately, he remained stable and I was able to have a cardiology colleague set him up for emergent open heart surgery. Now it really was medically necessary!

I am aware that a tiny percentage of providers have abused the insurance system, but I am confident that we spend far more on insurance authorization than was ever spent on unnecessary claims!  How have we allowed an insurance “reviewer” working off a checklist dictate what our patients need?  How is it that their “approval” has more weight than my 40 years of cardiology training and experience?  What happened to trust that we will do the right thing?  Thankfully my patient did not literally drop dead at home.  But I have to wonder how many others actually did while waiting for “medical necessity” clearance.

heathcare education, Healing the System: A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Hearts of Healthcare Providers, healthcare consultants, Dr. John McB. Hodgson

There is so much that can be done to improve both cardiology care and the overall healthcare system. My recently released book, “Healing the System – a Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare, identifies the problems, the root causes and practical solutions.

With provider dissatisfaction at an all-time high, our leadership coaching resources and practical healthcare education will improve the way healthcare systems work so that healthcare providers can get back to doing what they love to do—care for patients, solve problems, and influence the delivery system.

It is possible to create an environment and culture where everyone in the medical field can thrive and where a sense of fulfillment, joy, and satisfaction can be returned to the practice of medicine.

Stay Connected

You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC