By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    How Powerful Patients Save the System Money
    November 11, 2015
    How Financial Barriers are Slowing Down Telehealth Adoption
    September 26, 2017
    No Resource Constraints in Dialysis: a Blessing and a Curse
    May 4, 2011
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Skate to Where Health Care Is Going, Not to Where It Has Been
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Education > Skate to Where Health Care Is Going, Not to Where It Has Been
Medical EducationPolicy & LawTechnology

Skate to Where Health Care Is Going, Not to Where It Has Been

Kent Bottles
Kent Bottles
Share
5 Min Read
health care advice
SHARE

“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” 

This famous quotation from hockey great Wayne Gretzky explained how he scored so many goals in NHL games. It came to mind recently when I started reflecting on my own career, as well as the path I would advise young physicians to take.

As I look back on my career decisions, I wish I had thought more about the future of health care when deciding which jobs to pursue. Don’t get me wrong; I have had a great career. I have held the following positions:

“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” 

More Read

telehealth saves money
Virtual Visits: Cutting Healthcare Costs
6 Ways You Might Be Unwittingly Making a HIPAA Violation
Heroes of Healing: The Trailblazers of Stem Cell Research
7 Beneficial Ways Technology Can Impact Your Fitness
VisionCare’s FDA Approved Telescope Gets Implanted

This famous quotation from hockey great Wayne Gretzky explained how he scored so many goals in NHL games. It came to mind recently when I started reflecting on my own career, as well as the path I would advise young physicians to take.

As I look back on my career decisions, I wish I had thought more about the future of health care when deciding which jobs to pursue. Don’t get me wrong; I have had a great career. I have held the following positions:

  • health care adviceDirector of anatomic pathology
  • Professor and chair of academic department of pathology
  • President of the genomics repository
  • Corporate operations officer for ambulatory care
  • Medical director of managed care
  • Chief knowledge officer
  • President of a community-based education and research center
  • Chief medical officer of a $2-billion integrated delivery system
  • President of institute for clinical systems improvement
  • Consulting principal
  • Chief medical officer of a data analytics company
  • Faculty member of school of population health

As a young physician, I did anticipate the emergence of genomics and proteomics and enjoyed my time at a Cambridge, MA-based biotech start-up company. I also anticipated that health information technology would become more and more important, but I never formally studied the subject or became expert at IT. Looking back, I think that was probably a mistake.

When talking to young physician leaders, I advise them to do an environmental assessment of where health care is going in the coming decades. When I look into the future I see a convergence of several disruptive technologies that will transform how we take care of patients. Among the factors I think will be important are:

  • The Affordable Care Act and the need to decrease per-capita cost and increase quality
  • The transition from fee for service to global, value-based payment programs
  • The emergence of wireless physiological sensors
  • The growth of social media
  • The decreasing cost of storing data in the cloud
  • Big Data analytic platforms that mine new actionable correlations
  • The patient-centered medical care movement
  • Genomics and personalized medicine
  • The ubiquity of smartphones
  • The concept of reverse innovation where the U.S. learns from developing countries
  • The shared decision making movement
  • The emergence of population health

My original career goals were to become a tenured professor, chair of an academic department and eventually dean of a medical school. I succeeded in reaching the first two but did not achieve the last one. Along the way, I found that my natural curiosity and eagerness to pursue disruptive technologies did not resonate with academic search committees and search consultants.

When young physicians tell me they want to become chairs or deans or chief medical officers or CEOs of integrated delivery systems, I often wonder if they, like me, are ignoring Gretzky’s sage advice.

If my environmental assessment is correct, and it may not be, those traditionally prestigious positions in medicine may not be where the real action occurs. Instead of focusing on positions and titles, the wise physician executive might concentrate on the twelve bulleted factors that will probably make hospitals and medical schools less central to the delivery of care in a transformed health care delivery system.

The young physician who masters medicine and any of the twelve bulleted factors listed above will play an important role in the future of American medicine and will never be out of a challenging and interesting job.

(Skating to better healthcare / shutterstock)

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025

You Might also Like

healthcare reform 2
Health ReformPolicy & Law

The Affordable Care Act: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

April 11, 2013

Why You Should Have a Good Relationship With Your Primary Care Doctor

June 11, 2012

Better Coverage for Women’s Preventive Health Starts Today

August 2, 2012
Cognitive Decline
DiagnosticsNewsTechnology

MRI Can Detect Cognitive Decline in Parkinson’s Patients

February 18, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?