There Is a Huge Disconnect Between What Patients Truly Care About and What Providers Recommend
There are an increasing number of situations where there is not a clear-cut winner in terms of treatment, and patients don't get the information they should about side effects and things that could go wrong before making decisions.
I suspect this is especially true with government insurance programs, where reimbursements are below-market. Under Medicare, doctors get paid about the same whether they spend five minutes or 35 minutes with the patient. In addition, oncologists are reimbursed more highly for treatments than for talking. This could easily create an environment where options are rarely discussed and aggressive treatment is the only recommendation.
If patients controlled more of their own health care dollars, doctors would work more closely with patients. Physicians could be compensated for their time. Only then will a doctor have an incentive to walk their patients through a two-hour discussion of the pros and cons of various treatment protocols.
Exactly what you would expect if the primary purpose of the exercise is to bill third party payers.
I agree with Ken. In our dysfunctional health care system, the patient is not the doctor’s real customer. The real customer is the third party payer.
Of course, there is a disconnect between payer and payee (patient and doctor). This disconnect starts when we depend on third-party (employer) paid/provided health insurance. If the system is reformed so that Americans buy their own insurance, and get the employer out of the picture, I believe, all ills about the current system will automatically correct themselves through market forces. Then health care will be as affordable (for every pocket) and readily available as fast food is!! The key is to remove the employer from the picture. Whereas, the current thinking is employer should provide the insurance. This is wrong.