From the time I entered med school decades ago, to the many years I practiced and provided care for families in Cincinnati to now, as Medical Director at Mercy Health—a system I’ve been blessed to work for and with for over 10 years—a lot has changed.
I used to find myself wishing for a more efficient way of getting things done, and like magic, the advent of the internet and systems that allow us as people to be more connected virtually have emerged. What began as a basic way to access information has now become a real-time, people-driven ecosystem, and I think it’s safe to say – the world is totally different for it.
I can order food and groceries and have them delivered to my door in less than an hour. I can get a car from my mobile phone to my front door in minutes. I can even schedule a haircut and get alerts as my appointment time is approaching. That’s incredible.
What can’t I do very easily? I still can’t quite get the seamless experience I’m looking for when it comes to my health care. And because of my decades of experience caring for people in this field, I’ve heard all the stories – “Dr. Todd, I can’t get into my doctor’s office for months.” Or, “It’s so frustrating, they don’t even call me back with my results.” Unfortunately, “they” are the many health care systems across America who keep telling us they are offering better scale and service because of how big they’ve become.
But that doesn’t seem to ring true yet for the average person.
This is a problem that I am so proud to say we, at Mercy Health, are truly committed to solving.
We are poised to ignite the changes necessary to improve the whole experience with and in health care, because our brand promise to make health care easier is more than just a statement we write on paper.
We have put in place teams of people dedicated to solving a problem that it seems no other health care system has yet to solve. We are putting in the work to make the change.
Let me be clear, this is not an overnight change, but for Mercy Health, this is a journey we have begun and will not stray from until every single one of our patients has the connected, convenient, and seamless experience they want and deserve.
We are actively working on several initiatives that we think will play a big part in creating this change. I will continue to write about them and share with you here on our blog as we make strides to make your health care easier.
As we continue to put in the work, we want to hear from you.
What would change health care for you? What does the perfect health care system look like in your eyes? What are the biggest barriers you face in getting care? What’s the biggest change or improvement you think is needed to make health care easier? Please share with us in the comments below!
