Do consumers demand shiny new things in health care?

Health Populi’s Hot Points: The name of this paper perfectly frames the discussion. American health consumers have shared a mentality that newer tech equals better tech, that more CT scanners and MRIs on Pill Hill portend better health for their communities.

But we’ve known for some time that “more” in health care doesn’t equate to “better” health outcomes. Shannon Brownlee succinctly presented the argument against “more” consumption in health care in her book, Overtreated, five years ago — this is required reading for anyone interested in making sense out of the nonsensical U.S. health system. The tagline tells the story: “why too much medicine is making us sicker and poorer.”...