"end of paying for quantity of treatment, and the beginning of paying for quality of treatment"

[ProSense]

The five most promising cost controls in the health-care bill

(4) Medicare "bundling" programs: The most obviously illogical part of our current health-care system is that we pay doctors the way we pay car dealers: They get more money for every item they sell. But while we aren't afraid to ignore a car dealer's recommendations, we are afraid to disagree with our doctors. As you'd expect, this pushes costs higher.

The health-care bill seeds Medicare with many experiments to change this status quo, the most immediately promising of which are the "bundling" programs. Instead of getting paid for everything they do to help a diabetic, hospitals will get paid once for treating that person's diabetes and all related conditions over a certain period of time. If this leads to lower costs and doesn't harm patients, it will be expanded. That would be the beginning of the end of paying for quantity of treatment, and the beginning of paying for quality of treatment.

[LiberalFighter]

1. I wonder where the most abuse can be found?

Hospitals?
Small practices?
Large practices?
Specialists?

[democrattotheend]

2. Isn't that kind of risky?

I agree that there's a lot of waste in the current system, but my concern about a flat fee system is that it might create too much incentive for doctors/hospitals to skimp on necessary care. If they get paid the same amount regardless of how much treatment they do, isn't there an incentive to do less?

I guess the threat of medical malpractice suits provides somewhat of a counterbalance to this, but I am still concerned that it could push doctors and hospitals to do too little treatment or to choose cheaper treatments over the best treatment.