American Re continued

Falchuk gave a recent example of a woman with breast cancer who was given a choice between chemotherapy and mastectomy or a less invasive choice. Her first doctor said she could get away with not having her breast removed; a second opinion by a Best Doctor physician discovered that the cancer was, in fact, in danger of metastasizing and that she may well have died otherwise. “Obviously, the review by that specialist led to a better outcome,” said Falchuk.

American Re uses the Best Doctors expertise to assure better outcomes for clients, thereby holding costs down. In the event of a covered catastrophic injury or illness, Am Re’s cat-care service contacts Best Doctors, which quickly finds the right doctor for a particular injury or disease. American Re has an exclusive arrangement with Best Doctors for the property/casualty insurance industry. It is available to AmRe clients and their employees, as well as employees of American Re.

Although it may seem to buck current cost-cutting trends, the specialist approach actually reduces costs because it nearly always leads to healthier patients which heads off future medical cost and possible litigation.

“Over and over again, we hear that what’s been forgotten about in the debate over managed care is the actual practice of medicine,” Falchuk said. “this brings that back into the equation.”