Wednesday, May 29, 2013
12:00 AM
Cutting The Cost of Care
Guests: Dr. Eric Holmboe, Chief Medical Officer at the American Board of Internal Medicine; Dr. David Newman, ER physician, author of "Hippocrates' Shadow: Secrets from the House of Medicine". We take a close look at the Choosing Wisely campaign, a new effort by the American Board of Internal Medicine to educate patients about common medical procedures. The guidelines, issued by the ABIM, are from nine different medical specialties, each suggesting restrictions on five commonly used diagnostic tests/treatments. The goal of the ABIM is to slow requests of overused medical procedures, while at the same time reducing the healthcare costs of patients. Although the program is a refreshing take on health expenditure, not everyone backs the campaign. Opponents of Choosing Wisely believe that it is one step away from giving the federal government the power to ration healthcare. On this episode, we are speaking with Dr. Eric Holmboe, the Chief Medical Officer at the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr Holmboe details to Lark McCarthy the overall goals of the Choosing Wisely guidelines and its impact on the future of healthcare. We also hear from Dr. David Newman, an emergency room physician in New York City who also authored, "Hippocrates' Shadow: Secrets from the House of Medicine." In his book, Dr. Newman stresses the importance of re-establishing strong doctor/patient relationships, while curtailing heavy reliance on modern medical technology.
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