These are turbulent times for healthcare. We are paying too much on all fronts. There have been some phenomenal breakthroughs, like personalized medicine, but for every step forward, it feels like we take a step back. Measles, once thought eradicated, have returned. And recently, the British Medical Journal released a study that found a lot of people who had knee surgery, a common and longtime treatment for certain issues, saw no improvement. But the future is now. What is on the near horizon that could change healthcare for the better?

There will always be patients who need for their providers to be the ones in control, but patient-centric models of care are becoming more and more in demand. So, how do we get there? One of my endocrinologists has been at the forefront of patient-centric care for decades. How do we make Dr. Clement’s approach the default?

How do you want to be treated in a relationship with your provider? I was never bullied. It would have been difficult had anyone been inclined. Out-of-control diabetes took me out of school an average of 40 days a year. And I was always treated like a little adult by my teachers and parents’ friends – also a side effect of my early triumph over medical adversity, for better or worse. But it took a long time for me to understand how I wanted to be treated, how I deserved to be treated, by medical professionals. In fact, I had to be taught by a few special providers that my relationships with my medical team should be no different than any other professional relationship – framed by mutual respect, supported by teamwork, and undaunted by judgment or questions, even if they came in an avalanche.