Once again, Jack Wennberg's group has pointed out the obviously startling truth in healthcare...we can't explain with any good logic why health outcomes and service levels are so disparate. The Dartmouth Study (isn't this version 100 yet?) uses small area analysis to put into plain sight the essential variation in services and health outcomes across the county.
Wennberg's group has compared the possible outcomes attainable if we all practiced 'best in class medicine' versus the actual outcomes from the current system. Using this techinique it is possible to estimate the financial burden of practicing sub-optimal care (both physician and patient). A staggering $40 Billion in savings would have accrued to the U.S. government if hospital care process had followed best in class standards for chronic care.
Let's make this real (since $40B is just a tad difficult to grasp for us mere mortals)...that is roughly $150,000 per man, woman and child in the USA.
Hmm, what would you do if you found that kind of change in your sofa?!
p.s. In case you're wondering, the photo at the top of this blog story is argicultural production anomolies studied over a multi-year period using small area analysis.
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2 comments:
As before, my question is: Who is supposed to do something about this?
One good place to start is with the educational training programs that graduate doctors, nurses, etc to create the awareness and the understanding.
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