In a conversation generated by a discussion on the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative’s (PC-PCC) weekly conference call, a comment was made to me about SETMA’s impressive Public Reporting. If only that behavior was widespread! Someday. In response, I said:

“That behavior will be the norm – it will be slow, but gradually everyone will discover:

1. “Where you are is not as important in quality as where you are going and your relentless pursuit of ‘getting there.’

2. “Shame is not attached to current performance only to the refusal to ask, ‘How am I doing?’ and not to being willing to change.

3. “The ultimate solution to clinical inertia is the Cortez Policy, which is defined by ‘scuttle your ships by telling everyone how you are doing, and relentless pursue your goal of excellence.’”

The truth is, once you “open your books on performance” to public scrutiny, the only safe place you have in which to hide is excellence.”

James (Larry) Holly, MD