Making decisions in a medical situation is a good example of a difficult problem. The decision makers in the room (whether in person or by influence) include:
- the patient
- the doctor
- the person paying for the care
Indeed, one of the critical differences between the two major positions on health care reform are related to how to use the market forces that we (in the USA) believe give the optimal solutions to such problems via “Adam Smith’s Invisible Fist“. Some people would like to set up things to make market forces work on the doctor, some to work on the patient, some to work on the payer. We’ll chase them all out of the room and focus on what the fully describe decision problem looks like. Then, in a subsequent PandaP we’ll let those people back in the room and see what happens.
Ancillary issues: We probably won’t be able to suppress the discussion of local stuff, the VP race, and the weather. But we won’t even try to repress our joy at being out on a pleasant evening at the Contented Cow.
Legal details (in appropriately tiny font):
What: Politics and a Pint
Where: The Contented Cow
When: 6-7:30PM, 24 Aug 2008
References: “Dicing with Death: Chance Risk and Health”, Stephen Senn
One Comment
Are you meeting in September?