title: The age of accountability.
abstract: The advent of accountability and evidence-based medicine set a new standard, suggesting that new medical technologies should require validation of their safety and effectiveness through controlled studies prior to their broad dissemination. Certainly, the concept of evidence-based medicine appears to be rational, objective, and consistent. However, the process can become extremely messy in its application to coverage decisions. After all, the coverage decision is really one of the most basic elements of health care. The following discussion represents a week in the life of a mythical medical director who is attempting to implement his or her company's evidence-based coverage policies.
authors.affiliation: Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Elizabeth.Brown@bcbsa.com
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008486:Physician Executives; D014481:United States