Implications of Regional Differences in Spending
Authors: Hyman Gaylis
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Letters20 January 2004Implications of Regional Differences in SpendingFranklin Gaylis, MDFranklin Gaylis, MDFrom San Diego Center for Urology Care, La Mesa, CA 91942.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-140-2-200401200-00024 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Commenting on the articles by Fisher and colleagues (which suggest that greater medical expenditure does not necessarily correlate with improvements in health outcomes) (1, 2), Dr. Wilensky (3) appropriately concluded that "We need to find ways to encourage better practices … and more thought about how to reward physicians who practice high-quality conservative medicine. Today is none too soon to begin." This statement is right on the mark and needs careful consideration.We can deal with the issue of encouraging better medical practice by changing the process of medical treatment delivery. That which constitutes necessary treatment is ...References1. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 1: the content, quality, and accessibility of care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:273-87. [PMID: 12585825] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 2: health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:288-98. [PMID: 12585826] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Wilensky GR. The implications of regional variations in Medicare—what does it mean for Medicare? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:350-1. [PMID: 12585836] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Kramolowsky EV, Wood NL, Rollins KL, Glasheen WP, Nelson CM. Impact of physician awareness on hospital charges for radical retropubic prostatectomy. J Urol. 1995;154:139-42. [PMID: 7776408] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Gaylis FD, Friedel WE, Armas OA. Radical retropubic prostatectomy outcomes at a community hospital. J Urol. 1998;159:167-71. [PMID: 9400463] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From San Diego Center for Urology Care, La Mesa, CA 91942. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare Spending. Part 1: The Content, Quality, and Accessibility of Care Elliott S. Fisher , David E. Wennberg , Thrse A. Stukel , Daniel J. Gottlieb , F. L. Lucas , and Étoile L. Pinder The Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare Spending. Part 2: Health Outcomes and Satisfaction with Care Elliott S. Fisher , David E. Wennberg , Thrse A. Stukel , Daniel J. Gottlieb , F. L. Lucas , and Étoile L. Pinder The Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare—What Does It Mean for Medicare? Gail R. Wilensky Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Elliott S. Fisher , Dan Gottlieb , and David Wennberg Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Rudolph J. Mueller Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Barry Kisloff Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Howard A. Levin Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Rudy Fernandes Implications of Regional Differences in Spending George L. Weber Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Hyman Gaylis Metrics 20 January 2004Volume 140, Issue 2Page: 147-148KeywordsEvidence based medicineHealth careMorbidityMortalityNursing administrationQuality improvementRadical prostatectomyTreatment guidelines ePublished: 20 January 2004 Issue Published: 20 January 2004 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...