Paul Abramson MD spoke at the Medicine X Conference 2012 at Stanford, on the topic of integrating self tracking approaches into his medical practice and implications for the larger health care system. The concept of a Quant Coach is introduced as an integral member of a medical team.
Self Tracking in a Medical Context: The Quant Coach
1. THE QUANTIFIED DOCTOR
Self Tracking and Medical Care
Paul Abramson MD
My Doctor Medical Group
UCSF Clinical Faculty
@paulabramsonMD
2. “Many of the people who come to my
office .. have come because modern medicine
has failed them in some way, or they have
used up its power to help them and they
know not what else to do”
-- Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
7. WHAT’S WRONG WITH
HEALTH CARE?
(partial list)
•Conflicts of interest*
•Ineffective for many things
•Lack of interactivity and empowerment
•Poor customer service
17. BUT MOST PEOPLE
CAN’T PULL IT OFF BY THEMSELVES
(AND/OR HAVE A COMPLICATED MEDICAL ISSUE)
18. Doctor Quant Coach
Self-Tracker
Other Team
Members
Patient
19. THE QUANT COACH
•A distinct member of the health care team
•Different skill set from a doctor
•Not burdened by the doctor-patient power
differential
30. But it’s not really about the data
It’s about the process
31. WHERE ARE WE NOW:
BETA TESTING
•Quant coaching in NYC - nonmedical
•Quant coaching in Pittsburgh, PA - nonmedical
•Quant coaching in SF - medically supervised
(My Doctor Medical Group)
32. HOW TO FIX HEALTH CARE?
Top down -- Electronic health exchange, “big data”
analytics, performance measures, Accountable Care
Organizations, Patient Centered Medical Homes, apps for
providers and systems.
Meh.
33. HOW TO FIX HEALTH CARE?
Bottom up -- Self tracking, own your own data,
quant coaching, personal experiments, doctor as
collaborator and consultant. Artful and appropriate
use of technology.
34. CONTACT ME
Paul Abramson MD
My Doctor Medical Group
San Francisco
Tel 415-963-4431
Twitter @paulabramsonmd
ADN @paulabramsonmd
mydoctorsf.com
quantdoctor.com