Miscellaneous Flashcards
In his article ‘The Cost Conundrum,’ what does Atul Gawande argue is the cause of the exorbitantly high medical costs in the U.S.?
Overmedicalization
too many tests, too many procedures, too many medications, too many hospitalizations
What are the four states with the highest medical expenditures?
Are these also the states with the best outcomes?
LA, TX, CA, FL;
no, quality of patient care is near worst in these states
Why is ‘more medicine’ not necessarily ‘better medicine?’
Medical procedures carry risks; they are expensive
True/False.
Annually, more U.S. citizens die from surgical complications (~100,000) than from car accidents.
True.
In areas of the U.S. with the highest medical expenditures (e.g. LA, TX, CA, FL), do patients receive more preventative treatment and PCP visits?
No;
they receive more of the expensive types of care and less of the [more effective] cheaper types
What percentage of Medicare costs could be saved with no decrease in health outcomes if expenditures in high-cost areas were brought down to those of low-cost areas?
30%
What are some examples of very successful (and not-for-profit) accountable care organizations in the U.S. that are succeeding in providing high-quality, low-cost care?
Kaiser Permanente (CA); Intermountain Healthcare (UT); the Marshfield Clinic (WI); the Geisinger Health System (PA); the Ochsner Health System (LA)
How does the Mayo Clinic pay its providers?
Salary pay
How are American doctors typically paid, (1) as individuals or as teams, and (2), for quantity or quality?
(1) Individuals
(2) Quantity
