Practice Transformation: Professional Development Is Personal

Abstract

Current efforts to achieve practice transformation in our health care delivery system are, for good reason, primarily focused on technical change. Such efforts include meaningful use, population health metrics reporting, and the creation and sustaining of team-based patient-centered medical home delivery sites. If practice transformation is meant to ultimately and fundamentally transform the health care system and its culture to achieve the quadruple aim of better health, better care, affordability, and satisfaction of patients and providers, these technical changes are necessary but not sufficient. Systemic transformation is contingent on the transformation of the individuals who make up the systems. Therefore, if the goal is to authentically transform medical practice in the United States, transformation of those who practice it is also required.