The problem:
For the 47 percent of Americans with multiple chronic diseases or conditions, health care costs increase dramatically. The average Medicare patient with one chronic condition sees four physicians a year, while those with five or more chronic conditions see fourteen different physicians a year. In 2002, beneficiaries with five or more chronic conditions accounted for 76 percent of Medicare expenditures. [link; gated, but with abstract]
The obvious solution: more conferences, more papers, more research grants. Isn't that how we solve problems in other markets?
See my post at the Health Affairs blog for a description of how some employers are solving the problem with Health Savings Accounts.
John, what do you have against conferences, papers and research grants? Everybody has to earn a living some way.
Good point Stephen, but do they have to pretend they are solving problems in the process?
Thanks for the link to the Health Affairs post. That’s very interesting.
It’s more than interesting, Bret. It points to a whole new way of thinking about chronic care. I had never thought before about the implications of getting the economic incentives right for chronic care patients.
To comment on the Health Affairs post, go here: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/