The New York Times has a great little article out about the Cleveland Clinic’s innovative team-based treatment. Instead of being bounced from specialist to specialist they have created a single team of specialists who work together.
In its most fundamental reform, the clinic in the past five years has created 18 “institutes” that use multidisciplinary teams to treat diseases or problems involving a particular organ system, say the heart or the brain, instead of having patients bounce from one specialist to another on their own.
Instead of going to three specialsits and receiving three different treatment schedules doctors work as one saving time, money, and complications.
The article doesn’t mention eldercare by name but this could certainly be adapted to geriatrics. Using the same concept a team or ‘institute’ could be comprised of doctors who understand the aging process and who are especially suited to caring for elders.
This program has succeeded in improving care while containing costs and might make a valuable contribution to eldercare. Thoughts?
We live the dream of “Teaming up on Healthcare.” As a member of Kaiser, my Primary physician knows me well, is instantly responsive to emails, and gladly makes referrals to any specialists that she- or I decide to see. Phone and video appointments are free and easily available.
Excellent physicians abound at Kaiser; their pay and benefits are quite good, and there are never bills, front office problems or anything else for them to deal with.