Talkie Zoo: MONEY AND MEDICINE

Yes, this is yet another documentary about economics. No, that wasn’t my favorite subject in high school

Money and Medicine (2012) concerns itself with the high cost of medical treatment in this country. It focuses on two hospitals – one in Los Angeles and one in Utah – and compares the costs of various procedures. It quickly becomes clear that the Utah hospital offers superb care for its patients without having to drive the cost up nearly as high as the one in LA does. This is because the Utah hospital doesn’t push tons of tests on people who really are doing just fine without them. They also don’t highly recommend procedures unless the procedure is absolutely necessary for the patient’s health.

People leave the hospital there much sooner than the one in LA, too, thus reducing the medical bills for hospital stays.

I found it interesting that the Utah hospital admits it doesn’t make nearly as much money now that it has changed the way it does business, but they were ok with that. Their focus is on people.