Some time ago a group of orthopedic surgeons had what they thought was a very good idea. Why not take information on knee and hip replacements paid for by the government and collect it in a publicly accessible database? A lot of people thought the idea made sense. After all, that way both patients and doctors would have access to crucial information about how well competing products work. But the plan hasn't gone very far. The New York Times reports that current government guidelines do not allow Medicare to collect information on competing products.
- see this story from The New York Times