Episode 011: Let's Treat Patients, Not Populations. A Discussion with Dr. Michel Accad.

What does it mean to treat a patient? Is it knowing your patient and making an educated decisions about how best to treat them or is it viewing people in the aggregate and working towards making the best medical choices for your community or health system? This is the crux of the question that Dr. Michel Accad poses when deciding how you want to practice medicine (or be cared for by physicians.)

In this episode, Eric and Michel discuss the subtle distinctions made from treating people within health systems, insurance systems, etc. vs. making medical decisions tailor made for each and every patient. How does that approach change the way you practice or receive care? Does it mean that we ignore all the population based studies and experience within the paradigm of evidence based medicine?

You will learn what it means to be treated differently by someone who practices looking out only for you versus someone who uses a regimented treatment protocol that views you less as an individual and more as a statistic. Also discussed is why this different approach to medicine came to be and why it grows and persists thanks to our third payer system (insurance, government, others) are paying for care - not the patient. You will be treated to a very interesting and thought provoking conversation about approaching the patient.

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Dr. Michel Accad is a cardiologist and author of the book Moving Mountains.[/caption]

show notes

AlertandOriented.com: Dr. Accad's home page and access to his blog. From here, you will be able to access his writing, appearances, video blog, podcasts, and his book.

Moving Mountains: The fantastic book we discuss which discusses the history of population medicine and how we shifted our approach as physicians from individualized care to one on treating populations.

Athletic Heart San Francisco: Dr. Accad's Direct Cardiology Practice. There patients can receive quick, personalized, and affordable consultations for their cardiac issues in the Bay Area.

Doctor, Heal Thyself: The interview with Dr. Dearmin about physician suicide, depression, and malpractice alluded to in the episode.

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