Consumer-Directed Health Care

Abstract
For the past century, a premise of health policy has been that patients are ill equipped to judge the merits of tests, treatments, and providers. Conventional wisdom says that physicians should fill this gap by acting as patients' agents, telling them about the risks and benefits of clinical alternatives and ignoring costs when assessing these alternatives.But a diverse group of business leaders and public officials intends to overturn this wisdom and radically transform the physician's role. To motivate patients to take charge of their own care, they're aiming for a wholesale shift of medical costs to consumers. To empower . . .
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