Walking into a modern hospital always gives me a sense of apprehension. Sometimes I experience an unsettling feeling of uncertainty, I am not sure what to expect. Other times I feel profound sadness, hopelessness, and sometimes emotional pain as I anticipate many shades of suffering. As an incurable optimist and medical researcher, I have often felt a sense of hope that some medical professional inside will know enough to fix the health problem that I am struggling with. As a realist, however, I know many of the limitations of medical science. Very seldom do I ever feel a sense of surety or freedom.

Imagine that you need to go to the hospital; how does it make you feel?

I have an entirely different experience walking into an electronics store. Before going in, I have already spent some time researching what I want to purchase. I know the expected prices. I know the quality and capabilities of the products I want. I have checked the reviews. I have purposefully chosen a store with great service. I still hope that someone inside knows enough to help me fix any problem I struggle with. Often, I feel a sense of surety and freedom. I am excited about seeing some new cool stuff. I feel I can make the best educated choice possible.

How do you feel when you walk into your favorite retail store?

Since health is so important, wouldn’t it be great to feel more confident in the health care system? Wouldn’t it be great to know what to expect before walking into the hospital or doctor’s office? What if you knew the available treatments, expected outcomes, and how much it would cost to get better? What if you could make the best educated choice beforehand? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to feel better and get your life back without the unnecessary pain or loss of freedom?

Our amazing mind is built to evaluate millions of pieces of information and to put them together. When there is a perceived benefit or danger, our feelings help guide us. We purchase things more based on feelings than rational thought. This is an amazing ability, and its effects are well known. It generally helps us to progress, to have a better future. Can this amazing ability to feel help us to find a way to make a better health care system?

A radically better health care system is certainly needed. We all feel it. In the United States, where I live, health care costs are escalating, and benefits are decreasing. Despite spending more, up to 25% of our GDP, our healthy lifespan is going down. This is a sure indicator of an unhealthy system. The health care system profits more from sickness than it does from wellness. In contrast, with a healthy system, the prices go down and benefits increase. This is why we all love the electronics industry so much.

What if we were to build a health care system that is designed to profit more from wellness than from sickness? After many years of being a professional in the health care industry, I have found many ways to do this. It gives me a feeling of great hope and excitement. I have grown weary of standing by and watching people suffer when there are many proven solutions available.

This is a first of a series of posts that offers a view of new hope for health care.