Random health reform thought

One benefit of electronic records and the like is that we could begin to see the effectiveness of various forms of medical training.  One of the limits on the supply of doctors is that it’s hugely expensive and time intensive to get a degree.  Early work in hospitals practically seems to represent a form of hazing through long hours.  In some specialties, that may well just be necessary.  On the other hand, classically professional organizations often try to limit the incoming supply of people of the same profession to keep both the prestige and the wages up.

This is an area where conservatism is appropriate.  Medicine is an old high and a risk field.  That said, I expect there’s already a fair amount of variety in teaching methods in the U.S. let alone the world.  Monitoring physicians success rates after graduating and seeing how it compares between various programs may indicate what educational methods actually work fairly well.

When wandering hospitals, I’ve seen a fair number of ads for the number of years all their radiologists were trained.  I think it was something like thirteen.  I can accept that such training may be necessary, but it seems more like a lamentable fact rather than something worth crowing over if that’s the case.  I’m more inclined to be impressed by outcomes than inputs.