Takeaway
The murder of a health insurance company CEO has drawn attention to a swell of frustration with America’s healthcare system. Clinicians can extend empathy to patients who suffer simply trying to receive care.
Connecting with Patients | December 19, 2024 | 1 min read
By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine
Hearing about UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson gunned down on the street in New York City in cold blood was shocking and disturbing. Seeing it happen on a video screen was even more chilling. Both have left a lingering unease, especially for the healthcare community. Will other healthcare executives be targeted? Healthcare workers? Doctors?
This act of violent retribution, seemingly motivated by a sense of injustice around health insurer coverage decisions and incentives, has brought a simmering frustration with our healthcare system to a boil. What can clinicians do to help stem the burden of anger and resentment that many of our patients or we ourselves may carry?
Some of us may be inspired to advocate for change through political action in some form. Others can innovate to develop new or improved payment models that can better meet patients’ needs.
All clinicians have at least one indispensable thing to offer—empathy. Kindness, compassion, and empathic understanding are core elements of clinical excellence and things we offer routinely for those who suffer with illness. This caring concern must now extend further to those who suffer just navigating our labyrinthine healthcare system and its bewildering payer incentives.
Patients’ emotions around these issues may be expressed during clinical encounters, but more often just smolder beneath the surface. Whether we actually bear witness to them or not, knowing these feelings are likely present can help inform the way we receive concerns and communicate our advice. With empathy.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.