caraobrien:

PBS Frontline: Doctor Hotspot

Dr. Jeffrey Brenner is a local physician who some believe might have the model to solve one of America’s most intractable problems: lowering the cost of health care. While analyzing medical billing data in Camden, N.J., he mapped out “hot spots” of the impoverished city’s high-cost patients. By targeting unique care — including home visits and social workers — at the city’s most costly patients, he developed a program that he argues has both lowered health care costs and provided better care in Camden.