Cutting medical care costs. Primum non nocere
R. J. Blendon and D. E. Rogers
A serious slowdown in the nation's economy has led to widespread agreement
that the rate of escalation of medical care costs must be slowed. In
responding to the pressures to cut costs, physicians need to be guided by
the basic tenet of medicine: first do no harm. In recent years, this nation
has made extraordinary progress in improving health and longevity. A recent
study suggestively links reductions in mortality to increased expenditures
for health. Thus, physicians should watch closely how the nation reduces
medical care expenses. We suggest a series of yardsticks that might track
the effects of the nation's cost-cutting efforts on personal health.
Keeping a careful eye on where people receive care, how frequently they see
a physician, trends in mortality, and the adequacy or timeliness of care
could help us keep our sights set on the continuing improvement of the
health of Americans.
