President Harry S. Truman famously kept a desk sign that read, ‘The buck stops here!’

Rather than passing the ‘buck’ (responsibility/blame) to someone else, he took on the responsibility for the way the country was governed.

What a professional.

A consultant has the same responsibility to Clients (manufacturers), who have the responsibility to their customers (payers and providers), who have the same responsibility to patients. It’s hard to be mindful of this bigger picture when we’re busy in the day-to-day churn—but imagine what would happen if a single stakeholder in the chain passed on the buck to someone else instead of taking on the responsibility. That stressed out single mother who is barely getting by and working double shifts to put food on the table is counting on me to make sure she receives the proper rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

We expect electricity to relentlessly charge our homes (no excuses). We expect Covid vaccines to work (no excuses allowed there, either). Patients expect to get the treatment they need so they can move on with their lives (no excuses).

Market access is in the business of service.