http://www.medrants.com/archives/3419 Internal medicine, American health care, and especially medical education Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:15:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.medrants.com/archives/3419/comment-page-1#comment-524066 The Potentially Fatal Consequences of Allowing Insurance Companies To Direct Health Care - Liberal Values - Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:36:24 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/index.php/archives/3419#comment-524066 [...] DB’s Medical Rants provided a quick summary of the problems in allowing  insurance companies or other third parties to dictate medical care as Kling believes is possible: I see three major flaws in all these arguments. First, these arguments always assume correct diagnoses. Correct diagnosis is a major problem in medicine. Second, these arguments focus on treating a disease, while many patients have multiple diseases. We have no evidence base on the management of multiple diseases. Third, these arguments discount the healing relationship which great physicians provide. Patients respond to reassurance, encouragement and empathy. The physician really can help improve quality of life independent of the specific prescriptions. [...] [...] DB’s Medical Rants provided a quick summary of the problems in allowing  insurance companies or other third parties to dictate medical care as Kling believes is possible: I see three major flaws in all these arguments. First, these arguments always assume correct diagnoses. Correct diagnosis is a major problem in medicine. Second, these arguments focus on treating a disease, while many patients have multiple diseases. We have no evidence base on the management of multiple diseases. Third, these arguments discount the healing relationship which great physicians provide. Patients respond to reassurance, encouragement and empathy. The physician really can help improve quality of life independent of the specific prescriptions. [...]

]]> http://www.medrants.com/archives/3419/comment-page-1#comment-514682 The Covert Rationing Blog » Blog Archive » Patients, Doctors, and Remote Third Parties Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:37:20 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/index.php/archives/3419#comment-514682 [...] DB’s Medical Rants points us to an interesting posting on EconLog, in which noted economist Arnold Kling, PhD (in answer to an essay by Richard Dolonar on the importance of individualizing clinical decisions) says, “My own view is that a remote third party probably can use statistical evidence to make good recommendations for a course of treatment.” [...] [...] DB’s Medical Rants points us to an interesting posting on EconLog, in which noted economist Arnold Kling, PhD (in answer to an essay by Richard Dolonar on the importance of individualizing clinical decisions) says, “My own view is that a remote third party probably can use statistical evidence to make good recommendations for a course of treatment.” [...]

]]>