is it worth it?

 

NYT: On Tests in Medical Practice

Notable:

 "[Research for quality control] takes a research culture that promotes a healthy skepticism toward standard medical practice. That requires physician researchers who know what standard practice is, have the imagination to question it and the skills to study it. These doctors need training that’s not yet part of any medical school curriculum; they need mentoring of senior researchers; and they need some assurance that investigating accepted treatments can be a viable option, instead of career suicide"

"...The administrative demands of clinical care, on one side, and the competition for research funding on the other, make it increasingly difficult for researchers to see patients. They become isolated from standard practice, and their ability to study it diminishes. Clinicians who are well positioned to study these issues are increasingly directed toward enhancing productivity...instead of questions about whether the practices are warranted in the first place."

[Unless we do something], we can continue to argue about who pays for what — without knowing what’s worth paying for." 

After all,