By Susan Bartlett Foote. 285 pp., illustrated. Berkeley, Calif., University of California Press, 1992. $35. ISBN 0-520-07591-9.
A major contributor to escalating health care costs is the proliferationand use of expensive forms of medical technology. Without controlof these "medical arms," it is unlikely that the steady increasein health care expenditures will be attenuated. What is mostbothersome about this problem is that medical techniques arefrequently developed for use in treating the later stages ofuncommon, often fatal diseases. Such forms of technology benefita relatively small population, mostly in the later stages oflife and often in situations requiring the use of heroic measures.Hence, increased spending on medical technology may divert funds. . . [Full Text of this Article]
Previous
