Having and Being a Personal Physician: Vision of the Pisacano Scholars

Abstract

Having a strong relationship with a personal physician can improve patient health outcomes. Yet, achieving and sustaining this type of patient-physician relationship is often not possible in the current American health care system. Pisacano scholars and alumni, a group of young physician leaders supported by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), gathered for a two-day symposium in June 2010 to explore the meaning of personal doctoring and its importance to our work as family physicians. Using the techniques of Appreciative Inquiry, the group discussed three questions: “What is it like to have a personal physician? What is it like to be a personal physician? What are some feasible next steps toward making this possible?” Symposium participants concluded that achieving the ideal patient-physician relationship for all patients and physicians would involve extensive alterations to the current health care system beyond what is outlined in the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However, in the context of current health reform efforts, individual physicians, researchers, and policy makers must not lose sight of the importance of the patient-physician relationship and should continue to take concrete steps on an individual and system level to move us closer to this ideal.

The Future Role of the Family Physician in the United States: A Rigorous Exercise in Definition

“…9,10 It reflects the importance of relationships and of care that does not discriminate by organ system, condition or setting.…”

“…9,10 It reflects the importance of relationships and of care that does not discriminate by organ system, condition or setting. 11 The combination of trusted relationships and whole-person care is generally unique to family medicine and is believed to be central to findings of lower costs and improved outcomes associated with family medicine vs other care.…”

The Future of Family Medicine Version 2.0: Reflections from Pisacano Scholars

“…These services will be tailored to patients' wishes and appropriate to their social and cultural backgrounds. 35,46 5. It is time to move forward, continue discussions about the future, and develop the full blueprint for FFM v2.0.…”

“…28 -34 Long-term relationships with a personal physician can improve health outcomes and are important for promoting shared decision making. 35,36 The personal relationship at the center of the patient-physician partnership must be nurtured and sustained even as excellent new models for team-based and data-driven care are developed and implemented. Care models that support these relationships, such as direct primary care practices, should be explored and expanded.…”

In this Issue: Testing Characteristics of Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Patient Self-Care, Predicting Outcomes, and Practical Clinical Information

“…Other articles provide an update on Cannibis for medical treatment 20 ; views of the Pisacano scholars on doctoring 21 ; simvastatin associated with meralgia paresthetica 22 (something of which MAB would not have thought); and urine clarity as a not-good sign for the presence or absence of a urinary tract infection.…”