July 30th is International Friendship Day, which got me thinking about what that truly means, not in a greeting card sort of way but in a real, day-to-day way.

You know that person in your life who just gets it? You don't have to catch them up every time you talk. They remember the stuff that matters to you. They tell you the truth even when it's uncomfortable. You never feel like a burden reaching out to them. There's no performance involved. You just show up as you are, and they are happy that you’re there?

That's what I want to be for my patients. And honestly, I think a lot of providers want that too. The traditional system just makes it nearly impossible.