The Role Of Autonomy In Healthcare

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When I read about autonomy in the second chapter, what came to mind is how autonomy is important in our primary care offices at our organization.
• When you talked about starting or stopping a prescription medicine, how much did this provider talk about the reasons you might want to take a medicine?

• When you talked about starting or stopping a prescription medicine, how much did this provider talk about the reasons you might want not to take a medicine?

• When you talked about starting or stopping a prescription medicine, did this provider ask you what you thought was best for you?
It’s all about you and in this case, “you” is the patient. These are questions directly from the Patient Centered Medical Home Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers survey used in many primary care offices throughout the United States. The survey is used to assess the patient experience of care as benchmarked against all like survey participants typically at
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This doesn’t mean that the patient knows best, in fact if you look closely at the questions they suggest a discussion between patient and provider from which an informed patient can make an informed decision about their care. Patients come to providers because they need the expert advice related to their care.
Our primary care offices also care for patients who are members of our accountable care organization through Eastern Maine Healthcare System (EMHS). With the establishment of the ACO, came certain responsibilities to protect patient autonomy. EMHS through its primary care practices had to assume responsibility for informing their patients of their membership in the ACO, what an ACO is, and how it might affect their care. Patients then had the right to exercise autonomy over their participation in the program. They had the choice to opt