Discretionary testing also change the balance of power: before, patients had to beg for tests, but it was the doctor actions that resulted in the miraculous diagnostics.
But if you come with a test result in hand that force them to action, a bit like a car mechanic, doctors
are not the hero. You are - or random luck. They won't like that reduction in status.
Also, they can't CYA anymore. I had 2 people I know very well in a certain hospital for 2 very different problem - one this year, one last year. In both cases, the hospital very carefully avoided the one test that would force them to take action and operate on the patient.
After much pestering in one case, they relented and operated. In the other case, they didn't, so they could discharge the patient without health insurance. Dies the next month? Not their problem! They couldn't have known it was this specific issue as they didn't test for it. And they didn't test for it, because otherwise they would have had to provide the matching care to a patient admitted through ER.
Ignorance is bliss - for doctors and hospitals budgets.
I expect this sad case to be heavily publicized, as it frightens people just the way they want: tests are bad. Obey your doctors.
Discretionary testing also change the balance of power: before, patients had to beg for tests, but it was the doctor actions that resulted in the miraculous diagnostics.
But if you come with a test result in hand that force them to action, a bit like a car mechanic, doctors are not the hero. You are - or random luck. They won't like that reduction in status.
Also, they can't CYA anymore. I had 2 people I know very well in a certain hospital for 2 very different problem - one this year, one last year. In both cases, the hospital very carefully avoided the one test that would force them to take action and operate on the patient.
After much pestering in one case, they relented and operated. In the other case, they didn't, so they could discharge the patient without health insurance. Dies the next month? Not their problem! They couldn't have known it was this specific issue as they didn't test for it. And they didn't test for it, because otherwise they would have had to provide the matching care to a patient admitted through ER.
Ignorance is bliss - for doctors and hospitals budgets.
I expect this sad case to be heavily publicized, as it frightens people just the way they want: tests are bad. Obey your doctors.