This post was authored by Andrew M. Freeman, MD, FACC, editor-in-chief of the Patient-Centered Care Community on CardioSource.

The good news is that the concept of patient-centered care has finally made its way into daily practice – even if we don’t realize that we are practicing it, or know what it means exactly. When working together with a patient to decide the next steps in making a diagnosis or treating an illness, that’s patient-centered care (specifically shared decision making). When educating a patient about a disease state using an iPad or visiting CardioSmart.org to provide information (or even <gulp> drawing on the back of the progress note), that’s practicing patient-centered care.

As the world of reimbursement becomes more challenging, yet another layer is emerging: patient satisfaction and measurement of patient input into their care trajectories. As such, becoming more patient-centered is critical to providing care and will soon be one of the needed hurdles to cross to get paid. The above combined with patient self-empowerment and knowledge growth will necessitate patients who are not only educated by their doctors, but will require the patient’s input and acknowledgment of their values and needs into their care. When one is truly patient-centered, the visit is more of a discussion with give and takes, compromise, and a team approach.

Now that you’re fully versed in patient-centeredness, you might be thinking that this sounds great, but how can I learn more about issues in the patient-centered space and find reviews, tools, technology, and even books that can help me to really see things from the patient side? The answer is the Patient-Centered Care Community on CardioSource which features hot topics, polls, video interviews with thought leaders in the practice of patient-centered care, and more. Through this community, it is my hope to educate others about the patient-centered care efforts of the College and its members, in addition to providing information about the latest tools and resources available for patients on CardioSmart.org and how to apply them to daily practice.

< Back to Listings