There is a downside to specialization of labor in medical care

Specialization of labor helps to improve quality, efficiency, and profitability.  In health care however, there is a downside – it can come at the cost of the quality of the continuum of care that patients need and deserve.

This is one of the worst examples of patient abandonment I can imagine. Surgeons are paid a bundled fee to provide surgical care for a 90 day period.  I’m pretty sure CMS would like to hear about this surgeon’s policy of not providing their agreed upon service contract with the federal government. 

See more from A Happy Hospitalist: Is it OK For A Surgeon To Stop Seeing Their Hospitalized Patient?

One response to “There is a downside to specialization of labor in medical care”

1. Barbara Boucher, PT, PhD writes:
   

   Bundling is part of the downside for best practice care and profitability. Why should every medical service have to enter through the portal of the physician? Exercise – a well-establish evidence-based healthcare treatment is a specialty owned by therapists. Physicians cannot prescribe dosage for this valuable treatment adequately themselves (as they do for pharmaceuticals).

   @ June 6th, 2009 at 07:51