Last night I delivered my inaugural address at the 2014 AMA Annual Meeting to my family, friends, colleagues and mentors in Chicago. My message: Tradition is a foundation, not a prison—and we need to embrace tradition’s strength and flexibility. We need to be bold in our work as physicians and take innovative paths. We need to see change as opportunity and maximize that opportunity to improve medicine and the health of our patients.
I served for more than 23 years in the U.S. Navy, and I have a deep respect for tradition. I am proud of the dramatic decrease in battlefield mortality, superior training and expertise of military medicine employing innovative uses of data, technology and creating best practices. Building on traditions—not being bound by convention—is crucial.
The Navy was an early adopter of health information technology, and that’s why it’s been two decades since I’ve written a prescription on paper. I appreciate and see the potential in the digitization of health care. Physicians need to shape and lead this charge.
It should not be high-tech for technology’s sake, such as a label typed at a physician’s office that magically prints out at a pharmacy. The real innovation is that we may prevent a drug-drug reaction, or a drug-allergy reaction or a duplication of medication. The real innovation is in the ways it improves care, and the way it improves the lives of our patients—an application of science that promotes well-being and advances tradition.
Given my passion and interest for health IT, it may not surprise anyone that I’m a fan of Star Trek. While many talk about Captain Kirk or Mr. Spock, I talk about Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, a key member of the Enterprise leadership team. Bones bridged the gaps among the extremes of logic and instinct, rules and regulations, scientific knowledge and human compassion. He was a simple country doctor on a 23rd-century starship.
In this time of technology expanding all around us, it’s important for us to remember Bones’ approach: respecting the doctor-patient relationship, keeping it in confidence and plain common sense in improving care for our patients. Building on tradition by changing, surviving and thriving.
A ship’s crew—whether it’s a Navy boat or a starship—forms a society. Those aboard are confined to a certain space, reliant on each other, tapping a variety of talents. They’re working together to keep alive a floating community amid a hostile environment. Sounds a little like physicians in our current health care climate.
To my fellow physicians: I want to hear from you. Please send me your ideas, comments and questions, or connect with me on Twitter (@RobertWahMD). Together, we can escape the confines of convention. We can expand our horizons and draw strength from our bonds. Together, we’ll build a new tradition.
