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From: berman@psuvax1.UUCP (Piotr Berman)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Credentials, State vs. private
Message-ID: <1767@psuvax1.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Sep-85 14:21:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: psuvax1.1767
Posted: Thu Sep  5 14:21:58 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Sep-85 10:32:07 EDT
References: <152@gargoyle.UUCP> <28200053@inmet.UUCP> <1763@psuvax1.UUCP> <177@batman.UUCP>
Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ.
Lines: 34

> [P. Berman again looks at white and sees black]
> 
> > What we see here is a naive belief in the selfregulatory powers.
> >  ...Yesterday there was an article in NYT
> > about widespread incompetience among doctors.  Since no centralized
> > system of credencial exists, it is extremally difficult to prevent
> > incompetient (at time fraudulent) doctors to be in the profession.
> 
> Wrong again.  These doctors are still in practice precisely because
> there are credentialling systems.  In a free society, where anyone
> is free to practice medicine and where competitive pressures would
> cause dissemination of information as to relative competence, the bad
> doctors would quickly be forced out of business.  
> Gene Mutschler             {ihnp4 seismo ctvax}!ut-sally!batman!gene

   Wrong again.  How a competitive pressure would cause dissemination 
of information as to relative competence?  The only result of 
"competitive pressure" could be an advertising war between providers 
of health services.  As a consumer, I would receive a barrage of 
conflicting claims.  Another possibility as that the group with the 
best credencials (like AMA) would curtail this as well as it happens 
today.  
   When I am ill the first time in a given city, I take Yellow Pages 
and look for a needed specialist.  I do not want to get a competient 
one after many trials and errors.
   One does not to be psychic to forsee the consequences of the 
system proposed by Gene.  After many trials and errors, I am yet to 
find a decent auto mechanic in my small city.  Yet, I havenot noticed 
any dissemination of information as to relative competence in this 
area.  It s clear why.  Who could make money on this?  Perhaps you, 
Gene, but I do know how to do it.  Unfortunately, I cannot afford as 
many bad experiences in my health care.

  Piotr Berman