Opinion
Why hiring consultants to fix our healthcare system doesn’t work
By Paul G. Thomas February 5, 2018
'Too many healthcare consultants follow a Sherlock Holmes approach: It's elementary Dr. Watson.' Their diagnoses of the ailments of the health system are typically dire. Their prescriptions for a cure are accordingly radical.'
'One danger with consultants is their tendency to apply the same template regardless of which health system they are examining. Their reports tend to follow a similar format. They are dominated by the ascendant management ideas (so-called best practices) and laden with buzzwords,' writes Paul Thomas. File photograph
There are three main reasons why governments turn to consultants for help. First, they often believe that the leadership of health organizations will be unwilling to deliver budgetary restraint and innovation because they want to protect the status and budgets of their organizations. Consultants are seen to provide independent and objective advice.
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