Should We Only Pay For What Helps Us?
Peter Abaci, MD posted:
Hi All,
I came across this article in the NY Times recommending that patients should only have to pay for medications that provide the expected results, and I thought our community might have an interesting perspective on this idea. Here is the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/opinion/pay-only-for-drugs-that-help-you.html .
Adopting more of a shared risk model, where groups like doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals take on some of the responsibility for creating effective outcomes seems like a possible way of improving the quality of care and better containing costs. Let us know what you think.
I came across this article in the NY Times recommending that patients should only have to pay for medications that provide the expected results, and I thought our community might have an interesting perspective on this idea. Here is the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/opinion/pay-only-for-drugs-that-help-you.html .
Adopting more of a shared risk model, where groups like doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals take on some of the responsibility for creating effective outcomes seems like a possible way of improving the quality of care and better containing costs. Let us know what you think.
2 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Should We Only Pay For What Helps Us?Hi All,<br /><br />I came across this article in the NY Times recommending that patients should only have to pay for medications that provide the expected results, and I thought our community might have an interesting perspective on this idea. Here is the link to the article: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/opinion/pay-only-for-drugs-that-help-you.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/opinion/pay-only-for-drugs-that-help-you.html</a> .<br /><br />Adopting more of a shared risk model, where groups like doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals take on some of the responsibility for creating effective outcomes seems like a possible way of improving the quality of care and better containing costs. Let us know what you think.
Caprice_WebMD_Staff responded:
I'm looking forward to an interesting discussion on this....
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.
~Joseph Campbell
~Joseph Campbell
Report This| Share this:Should We Only Pay For What Helps Us?I'm looking forward to an interesting discussion on this....
TDXSP08 replied to Caprice_WebMD_Staff's response:
I would say yes you would then have far less pain patients being under medicated for their pain.
Therapists would have more open time because those who go week after week but make no progress would stop.
Surgeons would admit the real success vs failure rates in spinal surgery so patients would not gamble with their functionality and higher pain levels down the road when it fails
Hypochondriacs will not be coddled and tolerated because they would be costing money,they plainly and clearly get a psych. consult
people who are seeking pain medications for diversion would stick out like the proverbial "sore thumb" no records of PT OT Job Coaches Previous therapeutic dose trials of the pain pyramid they would not have that invested in trying to "score" meds from an easy Doctor.
with a program like this i would envision a nationwide card that had everything you have invested in your health on ( basically national medical records on a chip) so every doctor could know your life medical history or at least the last 20 years.
and your pharmacy records would be on that same card also, move cross country for better employment and your new doctor will have your current treatment and your medical history when your in front of them saying i need refills on a,b,c,d and the doctor will be able to see that you have been on them for ten days or ten years without having to ask.
And we have the technology to keep people from faking them with bar code's, mag stripes, and proximity chips all coded with your DNA and much like pets have a module underneath the skin that has to be encoded and match the physical card based on something like the julian calendar where if the chip and the card are faked and are off by 1millionth of 1 second they will not read correctly its done with our military battle radios and works great and has for years, but for a person to make a fake card and module that matched would cost a billion dollars so it's unlikely that would happen.
i think all patients should be randomly tested for drug's of abuse also,so that doctors know when they prescribe something what interaction needs to be watched for because patient A. also takes Drug b off the street.
my opinions are just that opinions not medical or politacal in any way.
Peace
Therapists would have more open time because those who go week after week but make no progress would stop.
Surgeons would admit the real success vs failure rates in spinal surgery so patients would not gamble with their functionality and higher pain levels down the road when it fails
Hypochondriacs will not be coddled and tolerated because they would be costing money,they plainly and clearly get a psych. consult
people who are seeking pain medications for diversion would stick out like the proverbial "sore thumb" no records of PT OT Job Coaches Previous therapeutic dose trials of the pain pyramid they would not have that invested in trying to "score" meds from an easy Doctor.
with a program like this i would envision a nationwide card that had everything you have invested in your health on ( basically national medical records on a chip) so every doctor could know your life medical history or at least the last 20 years.
and your pharmacy records would be on that same card also, move cross country for better employment and your new doctor will have your current treatment and your medical history when your in front of them saying i need refills on a,b,c,d and the doctor will be able to see that you have been on them for ten days or ten years without having to ask.
And we have the technology to keep people from faking them with bar code's, mag stripes, and proximity chips all coded with your DNA and much like pets have a module underneath the skin that has to be encoded and match the physical card based on something like the julian calendar where if the chip and the card are faked and are off by 1millionth of 1 second they will not read correctly its done with our military battle radios and works great and has for years, but for a person to make a fake card and module that matched would cost a billion dollars so it's unlikely that would happen.
i think all patients should be randomly tested for drug's of abuse also,so that doctors know when they prescribe something what interaction needs to be watched for because patient A. also takes Drug b off the street.
my opinions are just that opinions not medical or politacal in any way.
Peace
i have no small step for man, but i have 6 tires for mankind,Watch your Toes!
Report This| Share this:Should We Only Pay For What Helps Us?I would say yes you would then have far less pain patients being under medicated for their pain.<br /><br />Therapists would have more open time because those who go week after week but make no progress would stop.<br /><br />Surgeons would admit the real success vs failure rates in spinal surgery so patients would not gamble with their functionality and higher pain levels down the road when it fails<br /><br />Hypochondriacs will not be coddled and tolerated because they would be costing money,they plainly and clearly get a psych. consult<br /><br />people who are seeking pain medications for diversion would stick out like the proverbial "sore thumb" no records of PT OT Job Coaches Previous therapeutic dose trials of the pain pyramid they would not have that invested in trying to "score" meds from an easy Doctor.<br /><br />with a program like this i would envision a nationwide card that had everything you have invested in your health on ( basically national medical records on a chip) so every doctor could know your life medical history or at least the last 20 years.<br /><br />and your pharmacy records would be on that same card also, move cross country for better employment and your new doctor will have your current treatment and your medical history when your in front of them saying i need refills on a,b,c,d and the doctor will be able to see that you have been on them for ten days or ten years without having to ask.<br /><br />And we have the technology to keep people from faking them with bar code's, mag stripes, and proximity chips all coded with your DNA and much like pets have a module underneath the skin that has to be encoded and match the physical card based on something like the julian calendar where if the chip and the card are faked and are off by 1millionth of 1 second they will not read correctly its done with our military battle radios and works great and has for years, but for a person to make a fake card and module that matched would cost a billion dollars so it's unlikely that would happen.<br /><br /> i think all patients should be randomly tested for drug's of abuse also,so that doctors know when they prescribe something what interaction needs to be watched for because patient A. also takes Drug b off the street.<br /><br />my opinions are just that opinions not medical or politacal in any way.<br /><br />Peace
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