Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Project Aims To Empower Primary Doctors To Cut Down On Specialist Referrals
Project ECHO is trying to train doctors to handle complex issues instead of sending the patient to a specialist.
Medical subspecialities began proliferating in the US in the 1970s, with the rise of more technologically advanced care. But with that trend came another novelty: Primary care doctors began referring their patients elsewhere for care. In the last 15 years, that practice has skyrocketed. Between 2000 and 2010 alone, referrals jumped from 41 million to 105 million annually. (Tedeschi and Fritz, 9/12)
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