A great article by the New York Times on what happens when doctors and clinicians begin thinking about costs of care. As was 25 years ago, today, many clinicians still dont know the costs of items and service. OK... they know whether something is "expensive" or "not expensive", but they generally dont have any further granularity then that.
I dont want my doctor, or any doctor, making decision solely on the cost of items. However, to make decisions completely without knowing the costs? In the end, it actually hurts care... money that could have been spent on another patient is wasted on a different patient because costs were not known. Cost is ONE attribute in delivering care, not the attribute.
We all want what is best for patients across the healthcare spectrum. Its time we start giving hospitals and clinicians more insight into the costs of care. Clinicians can still deliver care optimally, but by knowing the costs, they can determine if something cheaper, but just as effective, could replace it. Overall, this increased the quality of care by leaving dollars on the table to spend on another patient who may need it.
0 Responses to "Doctor and Patient: Getting Doctors to Think About Costs #ptsafety #healthcare"
Post a Comment