PeaceHealth co-sponsored* a gathering earlier this week in Portland called Achieving Excellence in Healthcare Through Patient Engagement.

It's a timely topic that plays significantly into the changing dynamics of health care, particularly in primary care. With the growing imbalance between supply and demand, we need to encourage prevention and better self-care.

While this sounds straightforward, we need to recognize what a major paradigm shift this is for everyone--patients and providers alike. As providers, we're used to taking care of patients when problems surface because that's what we've been paid for. And many patients are used to seeing their doctor only when there's a problem.

As health care moves toward pay-for-value, we--and our patients--need a different mindset. To the degree possible, patients should be in the driver's seat and we, as providers, help them navigate.

It may take generations to get "there," in terms of how people think about seeking (and providing) medical care. What we can do, in the meantime, to help move things forward is:

• Focus on giving our patients the tools and power to support self-care, such as:
• After-visit summaries--PHMG is doing an OUTSTANDING job--70%!
• PatientConnection--a good conduit for delivering personal information  and non-acute care support 
• Scrubs & huddles--a few minutes planning on a patient's behalf
• Focus on our own health & families 
• Practice what we preach to our patients about exercise, eating, vaccinations, hand hygiene, etc. 
• Reduce stress & make time for relaxation, meditation, sleep
• Teach our kids & grandkids healthy habits

In an incredibly complicated system of health care, it serves us to have a clear, firm direction that will benefit everyone in the long run. I'm excited that PeaceHealth is helping to lead this conversation.