“WE DON'T HAVE A HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY, WE HAVE A DISEASE-MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.”

DR. ANDREW WEIL, FOUNDER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

The healthcare system often uses a “a fee-for-service” model of payment – government or private insurers pay a hospital or a physician every time a procedure is performed. So even well-intentioned doctors are incentivized to order more tests, see more patients, and do more procedures. Hospitals are encouraged to fill hospital beds and operate more frequently. Everyone in the system is encouraged to emphasize quantity over quality. If we can start reimbursing doctors and hospitals to keep patients healthy – or better yet – keep Americans from ever becoming patients, then we’ll see a rapid change in the way we give care.

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