With the current global economic climate, governments around the world are making spending cuts where possible. Healthcare costs are the greatest in most countries and there is no doubt that budget reform is imminent. As physicians we will be faced with the challenge of balancing patient healthcare and limited medical resources. This article, published in the August 10th 2011 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), discusses the issue of growing medical care costs and the role that physicians can play in controlling it. It also investigates some of the possible outcomes and solutions to this problem.

Full article (requires access to RCSI Library):
http://jama.ama-assn.org.proxy.library.rcsi.ie/content/306/6/650
PMID: 21828329

Title: The Role of Physicians in Controlling Medical Care Costs and Reducing Waste
Authors: Robert H BrookÂ
Journal Title: JAMA