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Definitely true that labs/imaging without good pretest probability or indications are frowned upon. The check everything mentality, at least to me, seems to ref
by hashmymustache 13y ago
Definitely true that labs/imaging without good pretest probability or indications are frowned upon. The check everything mentality, at least to me, seems to reflect liability concerns for serious missed diagnoses as opposed to profit scheming. Many of these fishing expeditions are in emergent care settings where the hospital ends up eating most of the cost.
- adwf 13y agoYeah I was probably being a little snarky there. I'm sure that the vast majority of doctors, even in profit-making systems, are just trying to do the right thing. But there's no reason the less scrupulous ones couldn't be doing it for both reasons ;)
- Amadou 13y agoI'm sure that the vast majority of doctors, even in profit-making systems, are just trying to do the right thing. This 2009 article looks at what happens when doctors invest in medical facilities. It doesn't even have to be overt, it's just an incentive that can warp the perspectives of even the most patient-focused doctors. McAllen Texas has the 2nd highest medicare costs in the country, but the next town down the road is much closer to the norm. Guess what the difference is... http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_...