doctor solomon's dilemma
What happens when doctors have a financial interest in controlling patients' health care costs?
a photo of doctor solomon






inside dr. solomon's dilemma: A profile of Martin Solomon, his practice and the financial pressures
Is Your Care Costing Your Doctor?:  How fast is the trend growing? Where might it lead? Reports, statistics, and glossary.
Interviews: With Dr. Solomon,  colleagues, hospital administrators and insurance executives.
Cost vs. Care: Americans want the highest quality health care, but at the lowest possible prices.  Experts analyze what's likely to happen
ask the producerjoin the discussionproducers notebook


10 questions to ask your doctor

linkslinkspress reactiontapes & transcripts

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Major funding for "Dr. Solomon's Dilemma" is provided by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the California HealthCare Foundation.


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inside the dilemma · financial incentives · interviews · cost v. care · 10 questions to ask your doctor
discussion · ask the producer · producer's notebook
links · tapes & transcripts · synopsis · press

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Dr Solomon's Dilemma

In the 1990s, cost-cutting HMOs were reviled as the enemy of doctors and patients. After fighting to regain control of the medical process, doctors are now struggling to manage tough financial decisions as well as patient care. On a daily basis, doctors find themselves faced with the often excruciating responsibility of balancing quality care against their own bottom line. FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith goes inside one of Harvard Medical Schoolís premier teaching hospitals and discovers Dr. Martin Solomon, a highly rated primary care physician, embroiled in the most bitter conflict of his career. He and his colleagues battle with each other over cutting costs, worry about the impact of red ink on their own income, and fear the struggle between care and costs will not only damage quality but will ultimately tear apart the trust between doctors and patients.

published april 2000

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