Episode #57: Doctors need a support system to help regain control! Dr. Jeff Michaelis & Geoff Smith

Join us for this honest conversation between a doctor, an organizational leader, and a patient, who all share a common denominator of having been involved with the same healthcare system, in different capacities. Dr. Jeff Michaelis is a retired internal medicine physician, and Geoff Smith is an advocate for caregiver and patient engagement and experience.Dr. Jeff comments on some of the changes his practice endured since he started back in 1986, including the explosion of documentation requirements, and seeing the pain in the doctors’ eyes when he would show up to help them, in his IT role. He reinforced that the doctor-patient relationship is everything, that it needs to be re-established, and how others in supporting roles, such as Geoff and myself, are needed to inform patients what’s really going on. Geoff talks about the importance of physician well-being, and how employee engagement drives the patient experience! He emphasizes that leadership needs to start from the bottom up, passionately stating that if people feel part of a collaborative team they are two times more likely to be engaged in their work. We need to bring back collaboration over isolation, restore the human connection, and engage the front lines in problem-solving, which leads to trust, and increased engagement! Jeff adds that the doctors on the committees need to be currently practicing doctors, and that the worst thing is doctors having total responsibility for everything without representation! They both agree that the whole team needs to be heard, including food service, front desk staff, and nurses, and listened to, as they have valuable information and ideas! Geoff says that as patients, we need to understand more of what doctors are going through. We discuss how patients need to demonstrate more of the qualities they want to see in their doctors, including empathy, compassion, and understanding. When your doctor is running late, consider that it is the result of systematic failures all over the place! Geoff shares a personal story demonstrating how we as patients can help doctors reconnect with why they chose to go into medicine, and how it is important to help doctors reconnect with their purpose!