Perverse Economic Incentives

Our health care system is particularly inefficient and, for some, inaccessible.  As for the quality of care, by any measure it is variable at best.  Why is it so hard to fix?  Why do we pale in relation to most of the industrialized world?

Quoting the venerable Arnold S. Relman, "This problem [the lack of 'practical suggestions'] is a direct result of "the inappropriate organization and perverse economic incentives of a health care delivery system that motivates physicians and medical institutions to maximize their income rather than focus on optimal patient care.”

 

 "Managed Care 101 In 2010 – Part I: Reforming Healthcare"  – Originally published Monday, October 20, 2008