Comment

Consumers lack the ability to measure physician experience and intuitive skill levels. Physicians are as diverse as the populations they serve.

Some providers command the attention of consumers looking for the highest quality of care during their healthcare episode. What does highest quality mean? I think it means different things to each of us.

Before managed care, indemnity health insurance offered the opportunity to search out and work with exceptional medical providers at centers of excellence across the country. Today, provider access is managed using an approved list of providers contracting with a health plan.

Managed Care advocates have been hard at work implementing evidence based universal treatment standards to insure safe practices and best-cost outcomes. It is a one-size fits most of us approach. Will this process inadvertently adjust treatment protocols that do not support cost objectives? Expanding our medical knowledge is the real fix for healthcare costs.

Private practice specialty providers have elevated communities to better healthcare. Unfortunately, specialty care is expensive. Managed care cost containment strategies have responded with a variety of control mechanisms for specialty care costs.

Your comments are welcome.