This article is a little bit dated but it's worth it. Using mathematical models, Dr. Cesare Hassan reported in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology that just by removing small polyps and not sending them to the pathologist would save over $450 million each year with little risk. The "resect and discard" technique seems very reasonable to me except for two things: pathologists would make less money and lawyers could use this information when suing for patients who eventually got colon cancer even though they received colonoscopies. The $450 million saved really is coming from the former group and eventually will land in the hands of the latter group. Other than that, I love the concept of "resect and discard". It could be easily expanded and I could think of so many people, organizations, committees and time wasters in the healthcare system that I would love to "resect and discard". How about you?
Please send along your thoughts on what else in our healthcare system you think we should "resect and discard". For example: CEOs, Joint Commission, etc.
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