Cutting Costs For Care Is Not Taught In Medical School

There is a national consensus among policy makers and educators that residents should factor the cost of care into decision making - but doctors and those who teach them are not buying in. In a culture of defensive medicine and unlimited malpractice lawsuits, over-testing is common. And there have been decades of stories and television programs stating that doctors should decide how to treat patients, not insurance companies or hospital management.  Of the nearly $3 trillion a year spent on health care costs,  30 percent - over $750 billion annually - is considered wasted care that could be avoided without affecting quality, reports the Institutes of Medicine.  read more

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