For physicians to do a good job, they need a partnership with their patients. They need to get to know them, their needs, and their social determinants of health so that they can build a therapeutic plan that makes sense. For patients, when there is trust and communication in the relationship, the outcomes are significantly better and the experience is more satisfying. For the entire system, we need this kind of partnership to improve overall population health and reduce costs.
But the relationship is changing, and we all need to acknowledge that so that we can think about how to get closer to balance.
