We live in a complex and interconnected world. Like other professions, medicine reflects the current social, political and economic forces at play in the United States and the world.

Physicians represent the “point of the spear” in health care, since doctors largely determine the choices made in tests and treatments, which drive costs. In the recent raging debates about health care, little is said about how medical (physician) education impacts medical decision-making and health care costs. And physicians have been largely silent in the health care discussion.

This blog attempts to touch on all of these themes.

Andrew J. Cohen, MD, a kidney specialist (nephrologist,) is Professor of Medicine at Brown University, Alpert Medical School. The views expressed in this blog are Dr. Cohen’s and do not represent those of Alpert Medical School or Brown University.