Why are we still here?

No one wants to be here. Doctors aren’t supposed to hate their jobs because they’ve lost the human connection they used to have with patients. Patients aren’t supposed to be afraid to seek care because they won’t be able to afford it. Nurses are treated like a cost center to be optimized. The prices are all fiction. Tell me one more time about how great it would be if you could just book a doctor’s visit like you book a restaurant on Open Table and I think I might punch an EMR right in the visit type.

The need for a foundational shift in how we give and receive care in this country is one of the last things nearly all Americans can rally behind. So if no one wants to be here, why are we still here?

Because it's complicated. Because the incentives are misaligned and the people who could fix it are exhausted from trying. Because every solution creates a new problem somewhere else. And because despite all of it, good people show up to work every day in a system rigged to keep failing them. 

That’s what we’ll explore here. From the policy to the people to the paper taped up on the walls, we’ll break down the overwhelming and see where real change is possible, and most importantly, what will it take to get us there. We’ll kick off with a series called Experience Grand Rounds and expand from there. Healthcare doesn’t have to be like this. We can choose a different future. So come along as we explore some ways to get the hell out of here.