The Patient as Reformation - Here We Stand Part Two - A Reformer Among Us

All social reform, as evidenced by Martin Luther, requires disrupters who are willing to speak truth to power. Donald Berwick, as the most Lutheresque figure in the healthcare reform debate, has been doing just that, having defined the singular truth of patient-centeredness and its implications for both the regulated and unregulated parts of medicine. He has consequently been asking wicked questions concerning unproven assumptions, such as competition driven by the integer, over cooperation driven by the immortal. Above all he is reminding physicians of our dual role - clinical healer and social advocate - and that silence in the latter, is no longer an option. Physician-reformers must follow Berwick through this opened door and apply the principles of reformation, on behalf of the patient.