Some good stuff from Dr. Wes today. First, his thoughts on the (soon to be) routine triage test in ERs, the multidetector CT scan. Who pays for this? Well, if you’re an ER doc, it really doesn’t matter. 100% sensitivity offers pretty good lawsuit protection at any cost:

The (multi-)million dollar question is this: who will pay for this scanning? Sure the patient with an uncertain chest pain diagnosis might be able to find out their fate more quickly, but broad scale use of these scans will be VERY expensive for our health care system.

There is significant pressure by government agencies to limit CT scan imaging in ER’s. And as we’ve seen, if these scans aren’t reimbursed, few people are likely to receive them.

Also, his thoughts on Pfizer’s hope-for blockbuster HDL-raising drug, torcetrapib.