Thus reads the headline in a WSJ article today, referring to misdiagnoses. Laura Landro is the author. Misdiagnosis is a huge problem, as readers of Cracking Health Costs know. That is something I’ve been shedding light on for years. Further much of it is simply preventable. “Diagnostic error is probably the biggest patient-safety issue we face in health care, and it is finally getting on the radar of the patient quality and safety movement,” says Mark Graber, a longtime Veterans Administration physician and a fellow at the nonprofit research group RTI International.” Here’s a scary thought. Says Robert Wachter, UCSF doctor, “Right now, none of the incentives for improvement in health care are based on whether the doctor made the correct diagnosis.” As much as 20% of your plan dollars may wasted because of misdiagnoses. Yes, one-fifth. What do you do? Go to your benefit manager and demand the your plan network expunge clinics and health systems that do a particularly poor job of getting diagnoses correct. That would be a good first step. Source
