… Gawande writes about ‘hot spotters’ … “An important idea is getting its test run in America: the creation of intensive outpatient care to target hot spots, and thereby reduce over-all health-care costs.”
A common factor these programs share is intense one-on-one care and accompaniment by an interdisciplinary team …
“My philosophy about primary care is that the only person who has changed anyone’s life is their mother. The reason is that she cares about them, and she says the same simple thing over and over and over.” So he tries to care, and to say a few simple things over and over and over.”
Vibha’s story … “I didn’t think I would live this long,” Vibha said through Bharat, who translated her Gujarati for me. “I didn’t want to live.”
I asked her what had made her better. The couple credited exercise, dietary changes, medication adjustments, and strict monitoring of her diabetes.
But surely she had been encouraged to do these things after her first two heart attacks. What made the difference this time?
“Jayshree,” Vibha said, naming the health coach from Dunkin’ Donuts, who also speaks Gujarati.
“Jayshree pushes her, and she listens to her only and not to me,” Bharat said.
“Why do you listen to Jayshree?” I asked Vibha.
“Because she talks like my mother,” she said.