This is an important and under-discussed topic. If everyone can have IVF on demand at very low cost, what happens to quality? If the lab has to cut corners (less personnel? decisions based on limited resources rather than best possible lab technique), what happens? If reimbursement is driven down by a single-payer or insurance oligopolies (or vertical monopolies like United Healthcare) are the physicians burdened with more cycles in less time just to make the payroll for the clinic? Optimization of these factors for best patient care is challenging. I know that technical innovations will help as might "re-engineering" patient care models. We MUST be careful to concentrate on what is best for the patients while avoiding incentivizing things that reduce our quality of care.
All good points. Someone is paying for the cycle, and the production costs have to be borne one way or the other. IVF does have a pretty good performance metric (you’re either pregnant or you’re not) and high transparency — factors which enforce a standard of quality control that many other manufacturing and production processes in and out of healthcare lack.
This is an important and under-discussed topic. If everyone can have IVF on demand at very low cost, what happens to quality? If the lab has to cut corners (less personnel? decisions based on limited resources rather than best possible lab technique), what happens? If reimbursement is driven down by a single-payer or insurance oligopolies (or vertical monopolies like United Healthcare) are the physicians burdened with more cycles in less time just to make the payroll for the clinic? Optimization of these factors for best patient care is challenging. I know that technical innovations will help as might "re-engineering" patient care models. We MUST be careful to concentrate on what is best for the patients while avoiding incentivizing things that reduce our quality of care.
All good points. Someone is paying for the cycle, and the production costs have to be borne one way or the other. IVF does have a pretty good performance metric (you’re either pregnant or you’re not) and high transparency — factors which enforce a standard of quality control that many other manufacturing and production processes in and out of healthcare lack.