Dr. Ricardo Nuila speaks with the THOT board of trustees on his experience working in one of the country’s busiest trauma centers.
Access to high-quality health care is central to the Teaching Hospitals of Texas mission, which requires a myriad of skills, resources, and good public policy. Advancing this mission involves perspectives from skilled clinical leaders and organizations across the industry, and a new book features the critical role of Texas’ academic medical centers.
Dr. Ricardo Nuila, author of The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine published by Simon & Schuster, recently spoke with the THOT board of trustees on the importance of maximizing patients’ access to care. Dr. Nuila delves into the experiences of his patients and challenges the notion that the only way to receive good health care is with good insurance.
“We were honored to have Dr. Nuila present to our board of trustees and highlight the unique perspective of a medical leader taking a close examination of one of the country’s largest non-profit public health systems in one of the most unique cities in the world,” said Maureen Milligan, THOT president/ CEO. “Our health system CEOs see and hear from patients and providers every day, but taking a moment to collectively process these patient experiences is another avenue for understanding what millions of Texans experience and expect from these critical institutions and their teams.”
Dr. Ricardo Nuila (left) with THOT Board Chair Dr. Esmaeil Porsa (right) at a recent THOT board meeting.
Expanding awareness of the work performed by health care professionals like Dr. Nuila and his colleagues emboldens the advocacy needed to prioritize important health care issues to new audiences with context and relevance.
His book highlights the challenges to accessing care that many Texans face, the freedom physicians have in public hospitals to focus on practicing medicine, and the bold ideas he has for the future of health care. It chronicles the lives of five Houstonians and examines how different patients navigate the health care system. Dr. Nuila covers the stories of each patient, taking a look at their health conditions, employment, and health insurance coverage.
Dr. Nuila is the director of the Humanities Expression and Arts Lab (HEAL) at Baylor College of Medicine, a program that integrates the arts and humanities into medical education. He is also a hospitalist at Ben Taub Hospital in the Harris Health System.
Watch the TED Talk given by Dr. Nuila at Rice University.
