“One man’s coffee…”

Part I of Evaluation and Management in heathcare  

Most of us have heard the phrase "one man's coffee is another man's tea" uttered, often in bewilderment, to explain a choice made by a friend or colleague that is radically different from what we would have chosen under similar circumstances. A similar phrase with a different meaning helps to explain one of the key issues in healthcare reform. Most people agree that one of the principal challenges in the development of a sustainable healthcare system is cost control. Furthermore, almost everyone from health economists to physician specialists agree that as many of thirty percent of our healthcare dollars are spent on tests, procedures, and evaluations that are unnecessary. For example, as an emergency physician, I have seen patients subjected to a second CT scan because the images from a previous scan were unavailable. If we all know that costs must be reigned in to prevent all of us from... continue reading...