Should doctors be concerned about ‘value for money’?

Abstract

After five years of medical education and a somewhat longer period of practical training before obtaining a consultant post, or partnership in general practice, the British clinician can be excused a measure of despair when being told that he or she now has to grapple with alien concepts like ‘value for money’. After all, the majority of one's training has been directed at improving one's clinical competence with the general aim of serving patients better. The clinician's concern is therefore with improving the quality of care, not with securing more value for money. In any case, what are all those National Health Service managers doing?

Citation

Drummond, M. and Akehurst, R. (1986), "Should doctors be concerned about ‘value for money’?", Journal of Management in Medicine, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb060454