Surgery at $147 per minute
Nate Johnson is a medical student at Tufts University and Maine Medical Center. The patient had a large abscess surrounding his spleen. On a large screen in the middle of the operating room, I watched a surgeon drain the fluid collection and remove the organ with small metal tools. I remember the surgeon navigating the complex anatomy with alacrity, handling the laparoscopic equipment with expert finesse, and quickly and confidently answering the battery of questions from the assisting medical student. To a young and reverent observer, this surgeon seemed to know everything. So at the end of...
Read MoreDropping the Price of Surgery
The following anecdote is by Dr. Jeffrey Rice, MD, JD – CEO of www.healthcarebluebook.com. I would like to share a story about my son’s recent surgery that, while only one simple case, reveals the foundational problem with the U.S. health care system. I write this story as a father of a 12 year old boy who has cerebral palsy. Jack is fortunate to be healthy and active with minor medical needs. As he has grown he experienced some issues with contractures in his right lower leg which recently required a minor 2 hour outpatient surgical procedure. That is where our saga...
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