When Does Patient Complexity Warrant An Integrated Approach: Raymond Rupert patient advocate

The team at RCM Health Consultancy has a client in a large children’s hospital.

This 14 year old client is very complex. She has problems covering several medical disciplines. These include: neurology, endocrinology, cardiology, gastroenterology and psychiatry.

We were informed by a recognized medical doctor at the large children’s hospital that their job is to only focus on their discipline and to get her out. The doctor stated that it was her job to focus on only her specialty and that was it.

This was a stunning example of failure to integrate. Why would a large children’s hospital with all of these disciplines with highly trained medical doctors not create an integrated team to address this very complex client?

The only way to address this level of complexity is with an integrated team.

This is certainly a failure to recognize complexity and a failure to respond appropriately with an integrated team. Why would this be so obvious to the team at RCM Health Consultancy when it is not obvious to these very highly trained medical specialists.

I will apologize to the family for the failure of my brothers and sisters in healthcare to act appropriately in addressing complexity with an integrated team approach.

Raymond Rupert patient advocate and healthcare consultant.