Recently the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ * noted: “You might have heard of the medical arms race in health care — hospitals investing millions of dollars in new, unproven technologies to beat local competition in the ongoing effort to attract higher-paying patients. Hospitals then advertise the new technologies to demonstrate how great their facilities are, and neighboring hospitals feel the pressure to respond.
“A new study illustrates the effect of this medical arms race through the early adoption of surgical robots. Hospitals were more likely to acquire a surgical robot — costing about $1.5 million, plus about $140,000 in annual upkeep costs — if their neighbors also had one
The researchers examined 552 hospitals across seven states that they determined were the most likely candidates to buy a surgical robot. Between 2001 (when federal regulators approved the technology) and 2008, 135 hospitals (24 percent) had acquired at least one surgical robot, with adoption rates jumping after 2005. The researchers found that hospitals were, in fact, more likely to acquire a surgery robot if their nearest neighbor had one.”
* to read the full Washington Post article “Keeping up with the Joneses, hospital edition” by Jason Millman, highlight and click on open hyperlink http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/07/30/keeping-up-with-the-joneses-hospital-edition/
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Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration
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