quote:
People talk about health care price transparency, especially in this era of high deductible plans. But I don't know how we can ever get there as long as standard practices are as you describe.

Transparency is a slippery slope. What if the patient decides that three troponins are too expensive? Or if a CBC is not necessary with chest pain, but the etiology of the chest pain is cardiac ischemia due to severe anemia due to an occult GI bleed and demand ischemia? Do doctors let patients dictate their care based on costs? Or do doctors practice evidenced based medicine regardless of costs? Or do the doctors shotgun lab tests to make sure they cover everything to make sure they don't get sued?

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Posted by LSUFanHouston

NOLA

Member since Jul 2009

37153 posts

Posted on 4/7/17 at 7:03 pm to Ric Flair

quote:

Transparency is a slippery slope. What if the patient decides that three troponins are too expensive? Or if a CBC is not necessary with chest pain, but the etiology of the chest pain is cardiac ischemia due to severe anemia due to an occult GI bleed and demand ischemia? Do doctors let patients dictate their care based on costs? Or do doctors practice evidenced based medicine regardless of costs? Or do the doctors shotgun lab tests to make sure they cover everything to make sure they don't get sued?

Valid questions, all.

The problem is that HDHP plans are based on this idea that a consumer is going to "take charge" of their health care. And with some decisions, that's fine (take generics vs brand, use a NP instead of a doctor for minor issues, etc).

But for the real expensive stuff, no one can replace the knowledge of an MD, regardless of cost. So, where does that put us?

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