The Medical clinics of North America
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Med. Clin. North Am. · Jul 1987
ReviewChanges in payment policies: impact on physicians' office testing.
Recent changes in payment policies include powerful pecuniary incentives to move care from expensive hospital settings to cheaper outpatient sites. Physicians face competition from a growing number of alternative providers in the diagnostic testing marketplace. Given that a concurrent trend involves aggressive utilization review with stiff penalties for noncompliance, physicians are challenged to practice appropriate restraint in ordering and performing tests.