RT Journal
A1 Hsia RY, Kothari AH, Srebotnjak T, Maselli J
T1 HEalth care as a “market good”? appendicitis as a case study
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2012
FD May 28
VO 172
IS 10
SP 818
OP 819
DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1173
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1173
AB 
Consumer-driven health care has emerged as a new paradigm in allowing patients to have a stronger say in how their health care dollars are spent.1 Patients are encouraged to consider medical care a commodity that can be bought and sold. Yet health care is a unique industry in which many traditional market principles fail. Consumers of health care do not always have good information about their condition and rely on the advice of professionals. Moreover, studies have shown that total costs and charges at different health care facilities vary substantially for what should be similar services.2