[downtownconservative]

An amoral big government giveth; an amoral big government will taketh away. Cold-calculating-amoral is the name of big government. (Of course when money is concerned, they may slip into immoral, from time to time.)

[greatdefender]

[pieceofthepuzzle]

Outcomes analysis is not a science. Not even close. It’s the medical equivalent of climate modeling and should only be looked upon as an ‘area of research’.

Practice patterns vary because expertise varies. An expert is someone who can analyze all the pertinent patient data (exam, history, unique aspects of that particular patients presentation, lab data, imaging data, etc.) and formulate a plan that is likely to benefit that particular patient. Following algorithms does not make you an expert or a good physician. I would say that less than 50% of physicians fall into the category of ‘expert’. That percentage will fall precipitously as the government sticks its notoriously ignorant fingers into the medical education system.

[The Great RJ]

The very premise of “evidence based health care” will mean denial of care. There can be no individual decisions based on the patient only one size fits all national outcomes. The eighty year old who lives independently will given the same level of care as the eighty year old who is debilitated and in a nursing home all based on national “averages” and life expectancies tempered by cost. One need only look at the graph from Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel's paper to see that resources will not be give to the old or very young.

[cranked]

Andy Stern.....