How can changing our ideals bring excellence to health care?

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Russ Gerber takes up this question in a recent in-depth article in The Washington Times entitled, “First, health care excellence” – apparently inspired by a question asked at a recent talk sponsored by the Harvard Medical School. Gerber draws some interesting lessons from placebos and the Pony Express in his examination of the benefits of improving our ideals.

What is an ideal? Dictionaries, including Webster’s Dictionary, draw this picture of the word “ideal” for us:

• (noun) a standard of perfection, beauty, or excellence;
• (noun) a principle to be aimed at.

• (adjective) existing as a mental image;
• (adjective) relating to or constituting mental images, ideas, or conceptions.

What we expect and accept matters. Better ideals help us move from ordinary to excellence.

Gerber writes, “Having a higher thought model, an ideal of excellence in all aspects of health care, is the first step toward improving today’s health care system and our own health practices.”

To read Gerber’s article, click this link: First, health care excellence