“We like our specialty, in part, because it is so episodic. What you see is what you get, and the bottom line problem for that day is what we like to solve. But the new world will require a broader vision. We will need to pay more attention to what was going on before the patient came to us and, even more important, what will happen next. We need to see ourselves more as part of a system, and our plan must reflect the larger care plan and problem set of the patient as a whole. We need to think more (good grief) like a primary care provider!
“The danger for emergency physicians lies in a failure to adapt. Rather than being the poster child for ‘cost containment’ and inappropriate utilization, emergency medicine needs to show how we can add real value in the new healthcare paradigm.”
