Oct 29 2021 47 mins 3
In 2003, Dr. Elliott Fisher published a seminal series of articles. It found that patients living in certain regions of the country receive about 60% more medical care than those in other regions, and these differences do not appear to be explained by differences in the health status or other demographic factors among the regions. To the surprise of many, those living in regions with high rates of medical care use did not necessarily have better health outcomes; in fact, in some cases their outcomes were a bit worse. In other words, more medical care is not always better. In today's episode, Dr. Fisher discusses the implications of his findings, nearly two decades later, and in the wake of significant health policy changes implemented in response to his work.
