Medical School Residency Cost

Medical schools, residency programs now teaching about price of care.
The New York Times (5/4, D5, Okie) reports that physicians "in training have traditionally been insulated from information about the cost of the tests and treatments they order for patients -- in fact, for decades, the subject was virtually taboo when professors and trainees discussed treatment decisions during hospital rounds." However, "escalating costs and the national debate over the healthcare overhaul are forcing medical schools and residency programs to grapple with teaching about the financial side of their profession." Additionally, "accrediting organizations now require such teaching, and students and residents recognize that they need to understand finances as well as blood tests."
Health policy experts hope technology will help educate physicians about care costs. The New York Times (5/4, D6, Okie) reports that "health policy experts hope that technology will become a tool for educating doctors about the cost of care. More widespread use of electronic medical records, they say, will help keep costs in check by providing doctors with precise information on the price of tests and drugs even as they are deciding what to order." One physician "said that students should begin learning early in medical school about the financial consequences of their decisions and that such teaching should continue throughout their training."