Practice Leadership Podcast: The Best Way to Get to the Clinical Outcome is to Not Pay Attention to the Clinical Outcome

June 7, 2017 • Orthopaedics • Larry Benz

This week, on the EIM Practice Leadership Podcast, Dr. Larry Benz will be answering one major question that he received during his presentation at EIM’s Manipalooza. Larry was presenting on stories that we, as PT’s tell about our patients, and stories patients tell about their PT’s and PT experience.

Larry will be explaining what he meant by getting the best outcome for our patients by not paying attention to the best outcome for our patients. With this, Larry will address the four types of stories we tell in physical therapy to justify outcomes rather than getting upset about not achieving the outcomes we and the patients want and doing more about it.

Larry Benz

Dr. Larry Benz, DPT, OCS, MBA, MAPP, is the Executive Chairman of Confluent Health. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in private practice physical therapy and occupational medicine. Dr. Benz’s current areas of interest include conducting research and integrating empathy, compassion, and positive psychology interventions within physical therapy. He released a book on September...

View Profile

––– Related Items

Online Only
OCS Test Prep Course
View Course
Hybrid • Virtual Lab
Pelvic Health I – Applications for Orthopaedic Therapists
View Course
Hybrid
Pelvic Health II – Advanced Topics and Internal Techniques
View Course 3 Available

––– Comments

Craig Johnson

Commented • June 12, 2017

Larry, well stated! Measurable outcomes are critical to demonstrate value, but if your outcomes are not good does that mean we are a failure and not delivering value? We need to focus the empathy and care delivered to the patient in order to improve outcomes. Just like in a sports event, where success is measured by the score. The coach doesn't make decisions to improve their score by looking just at the scoreboard, right? The same goes for the clinician trying to improve their outcomes. Don't focus on the score, focus on the meaningful patient goals and being the expert that guides them to achievement. Your check list is exactly what we need to do to measure if we were effective in that days session.

Larry

Commented • June 10, 2017

My experience is that the health insurance and medicare "system" does not facilitate the best clinical outcome-why? The overemphasis on documentation goals that are tricked up for compliance purposes and often run counter to the patient's desired outcomes. This "system" then promotes burnout because it takes the patient from a real person to a 2 dimensional character. The antidote to burnout is empathy. By focusing on the patient every encounter rather than the "system" goals, a better outcome is actually produced!

Damien Howell

Commented • June 8, 2017

Very interesting. This is contaray to many of the self-help programs like Steven Covey "begin with the end in mind". The concept of 'obliquity" requires some reflection.