If you’re a physician or if you work closely with them, you know that a life in the medical career might start out as an inspired vocation but end up becoming more of a looming, weight over the years. The healthcare industry has changed exponentially and the stresses associated with physician exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of efficacy can lead even the brightest medical minds to get simply burnt out. That is exactly what happened to Dr. Dike Drummond after 15 years serving as a family practice doctor.
After graduating with his MD from the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, Drummond began practicing family medicine at Skagit Valley Medical Center in Mount Vernon, Washington. He served as the chairman of the Executive Committee and the medical director of Managed Care at the practice for years before he realized his calling was elsewhere. Since then, Dr. Drummond has transformed himself, shifting his focus from helping patients; to helping physicians who are struggling with Physician Burn Out, which he suffered from in 1999.
He has said that an average of 1 in 3 doctors suffer from burnout every day, regardless of their specialty. Drummond believes that this epidemic among physicians is preventable and treatable and his goal is to teach skills of self-awareness, work-life balance and collaborative leadership to combat it. Now a certified Life and Business coach, Drummond has developed programs to do just that. These programs for training and coaching medical professionals in order to lower stress levels, prevent burnout and become better leaders within their practices have led physicians to happier, more successful lives.
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Drummond is considered a thought-leader in the health care industry due to his innovative ideas. Writing for a number of the top health care publications including Huffington Post Health, The Doctor Weighs In and Kevin MD, Dr. Drummond’s articles are always well received. This could be due to the enigmatic way he relates to all physicians, understanding their strife and needs; but we think it’s because of the futuristic way he views care and the patient-physician relationship.
So, when we read Dr. Drummond’s article on price transparency in health care, in which he poses a question, How can we get our hands on this discounted price information? our attention was sparked. He responded saying that in most markets you simply can’t find accurate pricing, to which we were overwhelmed with glee, because we could go to him and prove that statement wrong. Transparency is possible at Save On Medical.
When he learned that we are pulling pricing out of the black box where it has been hidden, to provide true price transparency and quality metrics for patients in need of pricing, he got pretty jazzed about our site. We blushed, but were pretty glad to hear what he had to say.
He referenced the tectonic shifts in healthcare, saying that Save On Medical is going to be a game-changer for providers and patients who are paying out-of-pocket for medical procedures. Drummond said, “There’s a wave rolling through healthcare, a revolution in regards to customer service and transparency, Save On Medical is on the cusp of that wave.” This was music to our ears coming from Dr. Drummond. It helped us see that what we are doing is really going to change health care, as we know it. He went on to state, “Save On Medical is a game changer if you pay cash for your healthcare. The website helps patients and physicians find the lowest price scans, x-rays and medical tests in your town, then even schedule and pay from your computer. That was impossible in 2010 and now it is just a few mouse clicks with their website. They make it so much easier to get the best bang for your buck when you can’t or don’t want to use insurance to pay for your tests.“
Learn more about Dr. Dike Drummond by visiting his site TheHappyMD.com to read his blog, sign up for his programs or see how he can help you or a physician you know.
