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A 40-person group of doctors and medical service corps officers met Feb. 10 at the Rosenhof Hotel in Landstuhl to discuss the future of military health care, something that can be summed up in one word – changing.
“Civilian medicine is moving forward and military medicine must move forward as well or the government will contract out everything,” said Capt. Rusty Nail, 435th Medical Group Medical Resource Management flight commander.
To see how much change has taken place, one need only look to the past when patients were not as knowledgeable about health care. Nowadays, patients are informed via the Internet and media, and can walk into the pharmacy and ask for more information on a medicine, said guest speaker Col. David Rubenstein, 30th Medical Brigade commander and governor of the American College of Health Care Executives.
Recent technological advancements have made it easier for physicians to care for patients. In some cases, patients are treated without ever seeing a doctor. For example, there is now a one-inch pill that shoots pictures of a patient’s insides, thus allowing physicians to see problems without making an incision.
“More and more frequently we are getting non-physicians to do what traditionally had only been performed by doctors,” said Colonel Rubenstein. “This is happening because of the rise in nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants.”
This trend poses its own problem in selling the idea to its beneficiaries, many of whom traditionally have seen only doctors. The selling point is mainly through costs, said Col. Rhonda Cornum LRMC commander.
“If you want to pay a ton of money each year in health care insurance then you can see whomever you want. If not, then you will see the person we provide for you,” she said.
Also specialty licenses will give patients a greater sense of trust and security, said Lt. Col. Michael Neary, LRMC podiatrist.
“Seeing an orthopedic physician’s assistant who does nothing else but orthopedic work will give patients a greater sense of trust and security,” he said.
The group also discussed how to think outside of the box and better ways with which to lead – for instance, overcoming the fear of failure.
Many people are happy with the status quo of their health care and breaking out of that mentality is critical to improvement, said Colonel Rubenstein.
“We have to align our vision with our employees and make it important to them. We must make it personal to them and establish a sense of urgency,” said Colonel Rubenstein.
Medical conferences and discussion groups like this one spawn new ideas and ways to improve on a constantly changing service.
“The medical profession is not static. It’s dynamic and the engine of our profession is a curious animal. We always want to make things better and take our knowledge further,” he said.
