Improve patient-centered care, decrease provider burnout, maximize Z codes, minimize hierarchical condition category codes

“The shortest distance between two people is a story.” Patti Digh

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement defines patient-centered care as care that considers patients' cultural traditions, their personal preferences and values, their family situations, and their lifestyles. The patient is an important part of the health care team and collaborates with providers to make health care decisions.

Physician burnout, according to the American Medical Association, is defined as a long-term stress reaction characterized by depersonalization. It can include cynical or negative attitudes toward patients, emotional exhaustion, a feeling of decreased personal achievement, or a lack of empathy for patients. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 79% of physicians said they were experiencing burnout in a survey by Becker's Hospital Review. Two of the interventions for burnout are teamwork and patient advocacy.