Dr. Michael Painter and his wife Mary each lost a parent. In his wife’s case, her mom died peacefully at home. But Painter’s dad experienced something far more traumatic. He received an early morning call from paramedics regarding his otherwise healthy and vigorous 72-year-old. His dad had fallen at home. Because the responders on the scene presumed a stroke, he was taken to a hospital with a neurosurgery speciality rather than one with a trauma center.
This decision proved fatal.
Dr. Painter arrived the next day to find his Dad on a ventilator in the ICU. A CT scan of his dad’s head revealed a massive intracranial hemorrhage, and a large, obvious contusion on his forehead. The following day, the physicians asked to remove his dad from the ventilator, and he died later that night. This would be devastating for any of us. But being that Michael was a doctor who knew proper treatment could have saved his father’s life, the experience brought with it a purpose. He needed to find how to instill pride in seemingly jaded doctors, so his painful situation wasn’t repeated.
Check out Dr. Michael Painter’s personal story. He elaborates his views on physician incentives, so they will deliver exceptional care. He cites some interesting thought leaders, and surprisingly, money is not the answer in his opinion. It’s actually, amongst other factors, autonomy, a virtue we’ve heard praised before, by none other than Ayn Rand.