Category Archives: Policy

Diagnosis may be the Achilles Heel of Incentive Based Payment.

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Ted

“Diagnosis is the mental act of selecting the one explanation most compatible with all the facts of clinical observation”.  – Raymond Adams in Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine – 4th edition In almost all instances, Government and other third party … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest, Policy, Quality, treatment options | 2 Comments

Providers, Patient Care Delivery and Policy: Hospitalist story

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Ted

There are often perverse incentives in health care. These incentives can, at times, create competing drives where providers are encouraged to do things that directly increase the costs of care.  Consider the reaction to the mandate to cut down hours … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest, Operational effectiveness, Policy, Quality | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

We should work to Identify Problems rather than try to Fix Blame in Medical Service delivery.

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Ted

Recently there have been stories of inappropriate cardiac procedures being. There are at least four glaring examples of instances in which cardiologists have acted in a way that was not consistent with what others would have considered optimal patient care. … Continue reading →

Posted in CV, Peer Review, Policy, Quality, treatment options | 3 Comments

Who is responsible? Is there Enough Accountability in Medicine?

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Ted

The Alligator Allegory reads: “ The objective of all dedicated employees should be: To thoroughly analyze all situations, Anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, Have answers for these problems, And Move swiftly to solve these problems when called upon. … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest, Policy, Quality, Relevant Books | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Medical Ethics should address more than the individual patient encounter

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Ted

George Lundberg, reviewed what he called the Principles of medical ethics in his blog on  MedPageToday.com on December 20, 2010. He’s done us a service by bringing this up as the season for reflection is upon us. The AMA’s Code … Continue reading →

Posted in General Interest, Policy, treatment options | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What is “CE Research/Analysis”? Who should be responsible for it’s implementation?

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Ted

CE research/analysis is clearly one technique to help gain insight into relative efficacy of several treatments for a specific clinical condition. If the private sector (industry, professional organizations) won’t do it in an unbiased manner, then perhaps an agency such as AHRQ should have our support, counsel and thought. Continue reading →

Posted in effectiveness/efficacy, Policy, treatment options | Tagged , , | 3 Comments