The Health Care Boulder

How long will it take us to figure out that the problem of 21st century health care is largely overutilization (except for the poor, who have no coverage, and this is another issue) and poor quality? At least for musculoskeletal conditions, which account for huge and rising costs among payers, unnecessary imaging and pharma are the #1 and #2 contributors to these costs. Hmmm....if you see a physical therapist first, we won't order images nor prescribe you drugs, bypassing the huge cost centers of primary care and speciality clinics like orthopaedics and neurology. If we happen to provide high quality care, great...but frankly patients and the health care system are still better off even if we provide average care. If Jack Wennberg is right, common sense won't prevail anytime soon. This would be a great read over your Christmas break. I hope he is wrong. Push the health care boulder further uphill next year by telling everyone you know to seek care from a physical therapist first the next time they experience an epsiode of low back pain. We just might find the boulder nudged a bit further towards Vision 2020, which is fortunately perfectly aligned with the best interests of the US health care system.

John