In today’s New York Times, Andrew Pollack reports:
Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influential medical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.
And further:
In practical terms, new guidelines being developed by the medical groups could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment — at the end of life, for example — is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisions based on cost is a form of rationing.
This is an urgent discussion that has been going on for a while minus any real imput from providers. It’s good to have them join the conversation. But here’s the bad news:
The cardiology societies, for instance … plan to rate the value of treatments based on the cost per quality-adjusted life-year, or QALY — a method used in Britain and by many health economists.
It’s important to point out that NICE in England (not Britain – that’s an important distinction) has publicly stated that it is moving away from using QALY-based reimbursement decisions, moving to a value-based insurance design (VBID) strategy.
Here’s the important difference – QALY is based on cost, VBID is based on outcomes.
Everyone should welcome physicians to the crucial discussion over reimbursement. But the focus should be on paying for what works, not for what’s cheapest.
As for an open and honest debate over the costs/benefit of end-of-life care – it’s important, but politically problematic.
