Structuring the patient-physician encounter: Joint creation of an actionable roadmap to health

The patient's experiences and costs related to their care are largely dictated by each patient-physician interaction along the continuum of care. However, the amount of time that a physician spends with a patient creating a medical action plan is highly variable and often not related to the severity or complexity of the patient's condition. Adding a structured process to guide and inform patient-physician encounters, including outlining expectations and follow-up by both sides is needed. Addressing these barriers to the physician-patient relationship would reduce variation in care, minimize unnecessary trial and error tactics and instead focus on predicted cost effective actions.