AMA president-elect: What docs want in exchange for curbing costs

Doctors who follow evidence-based guidelines shouldn't be sued for skipping tests, argues AMA President-elect Jim Rohack. Rohack cited the decades of Dartmouth research that has shown there are wide variations in care in different parts of the country. The research suggests that where there are more specialists, and more fancy equipment, patients get more tests and procedures. Rohack said that following evidence-based guidelines could be a way to reduce those variations, but some docs may worry that they could be sued for skipping a test. Giving some liability protection to doctors who follow the guidelines might change that, Rohack argued in an interview with the Wall Street Journal Health Blog.