3 ms·
NHS isn't a for profit healthcare system; and they'll break even earlier on the early detection and diagnosis as since it covers you for life treating you early
by benaadams 7y ago
NHS isn't a for profit healthcare system; and they'll break even earlier on the early detection and diagnosis as since it covers you for life treating you early is less expensive then treating you later when the treatment costs would be higher.
Considerations would be different if the MRI scanner was running as for profit; or you could switch coverage so the later costs would be borne by someone else.
- CWuestefeld 7y agotreating you early is less expensive then treating you later when the treatment costs would be higher. This is true retrospectively, for anyone who it turns out really has the disease. But studies show that prospectively (when you don't know if somebody actually has a given disease), the cost of preventative care - including follow-up tests and unnecessary treatments - exceeds the benefit that you outlined. EDIT: add quote to clarify what I'm responding to.
- hammock 7y agoWhich makes sense intuitively. You're trading away risk.
- mattkrause 7y agoThis is a little circular, in that we do the preventive care that we actually do is the sort that we think is effective. If it were obvious that these whole-body scans were cost effective, the NHS would have people lining up.