The health system too often reflects the preferences of physicians and other health care personnel rather than ensuring that patients have good experiences with care. Some leading organizations have vastly improved the services they provide to patients by mapping out the patient's journey through the health system and figuring out ways to make that journey quicker and more satisfying. With Fund support, for example, the Primary Care Development Corporation has worked with clinics in low-income communities to redesign office visits. One result has been a reduction in the average time a patient spends during a visit—from 148 minutes and 11 steps to 50 minutes and four steps.
(16)Patient-centered care—an approach that encourages providers to view all aspects of care from the patient's perspective—fosters better quality as well as simple efficiency. The two are often related. For example, about half of patients report shortcomings in communicating with their physicians: they leave the doctor's office with unanswered questions, do not perceive that the physician always listens carefully, or do not understand the explanations the doctor offers.
(17) In many cases, the result is failure to adhere to recommended treatments and an increased risk of emergency care.
Increasingly, patients want to be active, engaged partners in their care. Such partnerships are essential if patients are to manage chronic conditions effectively and adopt healthier lifestyles. Patients want information about their health conditions and access to their medical records. Giving patients with chronic health conditions self-care plans that work for them and supporting them in changing unhealthy behaviors are highly effective in controlling conditions from diabetes to congestive heart failure.
(18) Periodically reviewing patients' medication lists and improving communication between patients and physicians can reduce medication errors, improve outcomes, and lower costs.
