This document discusses the importance of taking a patient-centric approach in healthcare. It describes stories from the author's experience as a physician where focusing first on the patient led to better outcomes. It discusses how the author's mentors emphasized connecting with patients as people rather than just their diagnoses. One story describes how thoroughly documenting a finding in a patient's chart led to the discovery of an aortic aneurysm and a life-saving surgery. The author advocates working together as a team with the primary focus always being on improving patients' lives.

1. Why a Patient-centric Approach
Is Best: Stories from a Physician
̶ Dr. Bill Knowles

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I tend to assume that the healthcare providers involved in the
diagnosis and treatment always will do the right thing for their
patients from the very beginning.
Training Physicians to Be Patient-centric
In reflection of past experiences, I
have realized that, among other
things, most of us take for granted
the healthcare system we rely on for
our medical needs.
As a physician I find myself counting
on having access to that support
structure whenever it is needed.

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Training Physicians to Be Patient-centric
I tend to assume that the healthcare
providers involved in the diagnosis and
treatment always will do the right thing for
their patients from the very beginning.
I know that this expectation was ingrained
in me by some excellent mentors during
my medical training. Not all are so lucky
as Dr. John Haughom has explained:
In the healthcare industry, we still have a craftsmanship mentality to
process management. Even the way physicians are trained reflects
more of a craftsmanship approach because it relies heavily on
whom they shadow during their residency, resulting in inconsistency
in expertise among doctors.”
DR. JOHN HAUGHOM
Senior Advisor

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Training Physicians to Be Patient-centric
Using Humor and Expertise with Patients
During my family practice internship in pediatrics,
Dr. Albert May, who was my supervisor, mixed
humor and medical expertise in his interactions
with children and their families in a very
memorable way.
For example, after confirming his suspicions that
a boy’s asthmatic condition was aggravated by a
household cat, he would launch into a sermon
about the downside of keeping the cat, and
explain that the mother basically had to choose
between the child and the feline.

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Training Physicians to Be Patient-centric
Using Humor and Expertise with Patients
As you might imagine, there never was an
answer in the affirmative.
While Dr. May’s humor at times would
catch one off guard, there was a central
theme in everything that he did that
reinforced what I had learned from
other great mentors – he was
“patient-centric,” and always
would bring the focus back to
the kids he saw.

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Connect with People First
Physicians also need to take the time to
connect with patients, not just their diagnoses.
Interestingly enough, I actually had the more
general principle of “putting people first” driven
home to me in a non-clinical environment.
I was working at an AT&T manufacturing
plant in Guadalajara, Mexico and had a
question arise regarding a software
engineering project on which I was the lead.

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Connect with People First
I rushed over to a purchasing cubical looking
for the person I knew would have the answer.
However, all the attention was being focused
on the person who followed me in.
As I assessed why priority was being given to
that person, even though I had arrived first, I
realized that my colleague greeted everyone
before anything else.
I was humbled by this realization that I had
not put people first, and recommitted myself
to be people-centric, and, as a physician,
specifically to be patient-centric.

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Patient-centered Teams
One patient-related success experience came
during a series of medical student clerkships
at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.
While performing an H&P (history and
physical) on a patient in the hospital, I felt an
unusually wide aorta.
I ensured this was highlighted in the patient’s
chart, which I knew would be reviewed later
by several other healthcare professionals.
One of the vascular surgeons picked up right
away on this note, confirmed the diagnosis of
aortic aneurysm, and scheduled surgery.

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Patient-centered Teams
This discovery and subsequent procedure
saved the patient’s life.
Had we been distracted, and not had our
primary focus on the patient, we might
have missed this rewarding and potentially
life-saving opportunity with this patient.
I am grateful for the best practices needed
to find this vascular anomaly in a timely
manner and involve the right medical team
to bring a successful resolution.
It always is rewarding to do the right thing
for a patient the first time and every time.

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Patient-centered Teams
I continue to be grateful for our
healthcare system, and to know that it
is not quixotic to believe that we can
work together altruistically to improve
the lives of millions of patients and
their families.
We can put people before projects
and can be patient-centric.

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For more information:
“This book is a fantastic piece of work”
– Robert Lindeman MD, FAAP, Chief Physician Quality Officer

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Customer Success Story

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Dr. Bill Knowles has a unique background to support the vision to transform healthcare
through the application of relevant experience, processes, and technology. His certifications
as a physician, certified Oracle developer, and project management professional (PMP),
combined with the years of experience he has working in these areas, have formed a strong
foundation for achieving success in Life Science programs and projects.
Bill has established and been the director of several project management offices, in addition to being a
project management team lead and senior technical consultant. He has travelled to domestic and
international client sites to lead software implementations, and has years of experience providing
program and project management, as well as technical and clinical registry guidance, mentoring, and
training to healthcare professionals and support staff. Bill has been a senior director of client
engagement at Health Catalyst since 2014, and he is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. He also is a
graduate of the accredited Health Catalyst University Accelerated Practices Program, which trains
professionals in the acceleration of outcomes improvement.
Other Clinical Quality Improvement Resources
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