THE BUDGET, THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND THE PATIENT A DIFFERENT APPROACH.

Abstract

Modern medicine offers better health and longer life expectancy, yet consumes huge budgets. The Israeli Health Insurance Law (IHIL) regulates the delivery of health services to all Israel's residents through Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOS). These organizations confront constant struggles with their budgets and have to reduce expenses as much as possible (without harming the health level rendered). In the constant necessity to restrain expenses are embedded difficulties that might cause unrest to the Public Health System (PHS). At the edge of the public health spear are the Family Physicians (FPS) who have not only to supply the best possible medicine to their patients, and at the same time confront budgetary constraints that have the potential to hinder the level of rendered medicine, but also have, at times, to mediate between the conflicting interests of their patients' wish to receive the best available health measures, the FP own medical believes, the HMO's directives and, between the FPS wish, to keep up the number of their (content) patients. One of the World Health Organization's (WHO) concepts, like Israel's one, is that soul and body are inseparable and must be addressed simultaneously in the process of healing. Real life at the Family Physicians' clinics shows, at times, that despite the Israeli physicians' very high professional level, and the Israeli Health System (IHS)'s high efficiency, such a process, due to budgetary constraints, workload and various other reasons, does not always take place and, on the personal level, there are patients who feel that the "system" has treated them incorrectly and in an unsatisfactory manner. Unsatisfied and restless patients might cause undesirable consequences to the "system", like losing faith in one's FP and HMO, which might lead to the patients' reduced cooperation in the healing process, lawsuits amplification, patients leaving their FPS and their HMOs etc. Addressing the patient's soul and body as an inseparable unit would help harnessing the patients' will and mental resources to the healing process. A content and satisfied patient tends to less argue with his/her FP, to be more satisfied with the rendered health services, to be more grateful for the provided services, to be healthier (as some would argue), to be more motivated and committed to the healing process, thus, all parties would benefit, emotionally, physically and from the budgetary point of view. This article would like to offer a "simple" 'yet very effective way' to keep the HMO's members feel that they are not alone at their sensitive time of illness, that behind the FP's desk sits not only a professional figure, but also a "human being" who is there to support their "souls" as well, thus, harnessing the patients to the healing process, reducing the patients' possible discontent from the HMOS's ways of rendering services including, at times, in cases when the required or desired medical measures is not received. The correct use of Interpersonal Communication (IPC) by the FP encompasses tremendous opportunities to achieve the desired connection between soul and body during the healing process, and offers many personal, budgetary and other benefits to the patient, FP, HMO and the health system at large. Its use is almost costless, its contribution to the health system is huge and, last, but not least, it can easily be learned and adopted by FPS in their daily work with their patients and the system.