Today I commented on a Washington Post column by Robert Samuelson. Although Samuelson writes a convincing piece about the importance of costs (which I absolutely agree with), I think he overlooks a necessary discussion of value. He writes:

The central health care problem is not improving coverage. It's controlling costs. ... Countless studies have shown that many tests, surgeries and medical devices are either ineffective or unneeded. Greater health care spending forfeits any superior moral claim on our wealth by slowly crowding out other national needs.

However, focusing simply on costs will not provide long-lasting solutions to our health system’s problems. The focus should be on patient value – providing the highest quality of care at the most effective cost. This means consistently choosing what works best at the lowest cost and applying it until research finds something of better value and more cost effective to replace it.

Ironically, current Medicare payment systems tend to disincentivize improved quality! As such, it’s necessary that this system be replaced. Samuelson in his piece touches on this obliquely. Although Samuelson says such Medicare reform “would be unglamorous and probably unpopular,” I disagree – at least from the view of health care providers. Physicians work in the service of people. By providing financial incentives to do so, the government is allowing physicians to strive toward their highest ideal.  The ACC supports health care reform through its Quality First campaign.

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