Dartmouth is at it again with the next in their “more is less” studies:
Medicare spending was 58% higher in areas with the most resources compared with areas with the fewest. The study finds that 50% of physicians in high-intensity health care areas said they were able to obtain elective hospital admissions for their patients, compared with 64% of physicians in low-intensity areas. Doctors in high-intensity areas were less likely to say they obtained adequate hospital stays for patients, strong specialist referrals or high-quality diagnostic imaging services. The study also finds that physicians in high-intensity areas are less likely to report satisfaction with their careers.
Studies like this are all well and good, but until these factors improve, nothing will change (written about ad nauseum previously): i) “defensive medicine”; ii) reimbursement being tied to quantity;, and iii) the public’s perception that “more medicine = better medicine”.
