Doctor, Please Understand Me: I’ll Heal Better

A patient’s relationship with his or her clinician can itself be a powerful source for sickness or healing, says Dr. Charles Raison, CNNHealth’s mental health expert and an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University. “These findings have been replicated many times…” he wrote in a recent blog.

His philosophy on the power of a positive doctor-patient relationship echoes what we believe here at Signature MD.

“Anything we can do to bond with our patients and provide hope and confidence will translate into huge improvements in our clinical results, regardless of our area of specialty,” Dr. Raison said.

Keep At It

He encourages patients “to keep at it until we [patients] find a clinician we can trust and believe in, and who makes us feel as hopeful and inspired as possible given our current state of health.”

It’s especially helpful for patients when their doctor has time to spend with them—not the average eight-minute visit characteristic of today’s healthcare environment. A truly personalized healthcare plan and regular meetings to stay on top of prevention and treatment also make for a more fruitful relationship.

“If researchers discovered a medication with this much therapeutic power it would be huge news and earn untold billions per year in profits,” Raison said.

About SignatureMD

SignatureMD is one of the nation’s largest firms providing initial conversion and ongoing support services to concierge medicine physicians. SignatureMD currently partners with over 200 affiliated primary care physicians and specialists across 35 states, and its network is rapidly expanding.