Trust: The Key to Building Stronger Physician Relationships

Abstract

The transition from volume to value in healthcare has highlighted the importance of strong and genuine alliances between healthcare organizations and physicians. However, the absence of established guidelines for building such relationships has resulted in failed attempts, miscommunication, and missed expectations. This article discusses the varying degrees and levels of trust, and the importance of distinguishing between personal and impersonal perspectives. Trust-building behaviors are provided, including empowering physician colleagues, communicating often using multiple modalities, promoting transparency and sharing information, and developing clinical leadership among colleagues. The article concludes that healthcare organization leaders must be courageous enough to extend trust, which is much more than a magnanimous gesture, but an invitation to a collaborative future. The potential rewards of building trust can be enormous and well worth the effort, and trust as a foundation for high performance means trust comes first.