Problem
HCOs are strongly oriented to healing the sick, one person at a time. The first word of this chapter-"patients"-is consistent with that tradition. Consider the following reasons for seeking care:
1) Your grandmother, well into her 80s, wants a checkup. She has many of the limitations of age-her hearing, eyesight, and mobility are not what they were, and she has diabetes.
2) Your father, 55, has acute chest pain, which started a half hour ago and seems to be getting worse.
3) You (or your partner) might be pregnant.
Discuss each of the following questions below including citations:
1) What constitutes an excellent result for each of these events?
2) What care teams and clinical support teams are likely to be involved?
3) How do the strategic teams help the clinical teams achieve excellence? If the HCO delivers that excellence, what other factors would be important to continued good health?