Physician Service Costs: Is There Blame to Share Around?

Abstract

The rising portion of national income devoted to healthcare in general and the portion allocated to physician services have been a focus of the health policy literature for some time. Greater recognition should be given to the fact that the observed trends in physician service expenditures are the product of the interaction between physicians and provincial governments. Improving the productivity of healthcare systems in the delivery of high-quality primary care will require moving beyond simple oversight to deeper engagement with physicians as partners in system improvement.