Likemind in Columbus + A Call to Action

In an effort to continuously bring new perspective to my health care thinking, I braved up and attended Likemind in Columbus on Friday.

Not only did I receive a free book (Buying In) and sip free coffee, I greatly enjoyed the conversation I had with the folks in attendance.

At the beginning of my MHA program it was fun to hear people describe why they decided to pursue a career in health care. Most had some twist on the save-the-world mantra (you know, fix our health care problems). And then the first day of school starts and we begin to hear that the problems we are going to try to solve are (more or less) the same problems we’ve had all along. To say there has been no progress would be disrespectful and naive. To say that the problems have become more problematic is truth. Two steps forward, one step back. But I do get the feeling that many in health care often try to shut out the rest of the world with the thinking that only “we” in the inner circle know what is best for health care. Shoot, many would like to argue that administrators have only exasperated the problem.

Well, no matter what side of the fence you fall on, this is clear: the fact that we have been in this “health care crisis” for 40+ years makes me wonder if we are approaching the issues from misplaced perspective.

And that is why I appreciate Health 2.0 so much. That is why I’m encouraged by Jay Parkinson. That is why retail clinics interest me. That is why I am intrigued by the paradigm shift from sick care to preventive care.

I love this attributed Einstein quote and used it on day one to introduce this blog: “The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”

So whether it is Likemind, or books and magazines and blogs that have nothing to do with health care, or talking to people with no health care experience, please make the attempt to expand your perspective. It very well could be the only way we improve what we’ve got.