Models Abound Elsewhere

We spend way more, and get way less. And worse, we train future doctor to behave the same way. There is no end in sight to this madness called U.S. medicine in my very humble opinion. I don't have the answers but I believe that only through regulation and strong oversight can we make it succeed. Leave it to the local entities (hospitals, etc) and they'll make improvements with profit in mind. Because in the end, medicine is a business guided by legal and clinical experience and guidelines developed over many years of trial and error.

The real bottom line is providing the best care, with the best outcomes to everyone while not spending ourselves, nationally, to disaster. I get that this is not easy, because it's really not. But I see clearly that much of it emanates from antiquated institutional policy providing misguided medical education to poorly chosen future physicians. The system is thick with politics (no matter what you call it) and won't change easily if at all, without strong outside intervention....outside of academics, medical associations, politics and the pharma/insurance mega beast.

What do all the countries who do better have in common? Centralized, one payer medical systems funded by national health taxes or equivalents. They also free institutions and individual physicians from "trying to figure it out daily" and provide a framework for both clinicians and patients to flow into. We need strong reforms in this area in the U.S. and the models in other civilized countries is clear. Not easy, but certainly clear. And they have been doing it for much, much longer than we. Why can't we fast forward, and take back medicine to it's rightful place in society?