The brave new world of quantum health care: some thoughts on the anatomy and physiology of a medical entity and the culture in which it is immersed. Part I.

: In the absence of government intervention, the marketplace has taken over control of the health care sector in response to double-digit cost inflation. In the process, physician autonomy has waned. Health decisions are often made by corporate administrators; secretly hidden, less trained health personnel, and rigid protocols. Physician response as a profession has included dismay, anxiety, and depression. To return health care decisions back to physicians and to enhance the doctor/patient relationship, two suggestions are made. The first is the development of a task-oriented structure, energized by an implementation mechanism and information technology. This will allow for state-of-the-art, effective use of resources with care then judged by service, not by cost or access. The second is an introspective assessment of the physician's own personal psyche and the mission of the Profession. Redefining the mission and the motives behind it will allow the physician to "heal thyself" and move on to better and more satisfying patient care. The social contract with the Profession will then likely be reaffirmed, reestablished, and strengthened.