It's time we integrated time, relationship, trust and understanding back into the healing encounter. This would help us to improve the health of patients and communities (which, as a byproduct, will also decrease the cost of health care) and improve the recruitment, satisfaction and retention of high-quality talented primary care physicians.

Consider this: A physician friend of mine from a well-known, local health care system recently confided in me that he's so tired and burned-out that he's thinking of leaving the practice of medicine. As a primary care physician, he feels his role has moved further away from that of a healer and more into that of a "production worker." -- Read the full commentary at our blog, Hospital Impact.