oh no you can't order that CT

Well it seems that if docs cannot regulate their use of such things as CT scans, the government is going to do it for them. For example, CMS (Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services) has decided that CTs ordered for nontraumatic headaches will not be paid, and in the future MDs may be financially penalized for ordering what they deem as unnecessary.

Another sign of the coming crash and burn of the healthcare system. There are three players in the coming meltdown:

1) Government and insurance payers who are starting to refuse to pay for what they deem as unnecessary tests.
2) Doctors who say they have to order such tests in order to avoid potential liability.
3) Patients who expect expensive tests to be done.

Radical change is coming, no doubt about it. Without it, the government will go bankrupt with healthcare costs and insurance premiums will become unaffordable. Malpractice awards will have to be limited or doctors are just going to have to deal with assuming more risks. Patients expectations will have to be drastically lowered.

In the end, government and insurers will drive change because, bottom line, they pay the bills. Its time for doctors to accept the changes coming to their practice. The fact of the matter is the days of docs ordering any test they want are gone. Their autonomy is decreasing. Its reality. You can accept it, work with it, be part of it or not. Research based medicine is the future.

Now don't even get me started on all the ridiculous MRIs being ordered in the ER...