"Should be required viewing for every patient, physician, and politician." Amitabh Chandra, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University

Note: There are two versions of this program on the same DVD: the original 84-minute version and a new 56-minute version.

As rising health care costs threaten to bankrupt the country, MONEY & MEDICINE tackles the medical, ethical, and financial challenges of containing runaway health care spending. In addition to illuminating the so-called waste and overtreatment that pervade our medical system, this timely documentary explores promising ways to reduce health care expenditures and improve the overall quality of medical care.

MONEY & MEDICINE was filmed at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and Intermountain Medical Center in Utah. While UCLA ranks among the nation's top academic medical centers, it spends considerably more than the national average on patient care. In contrast, Intermountain spends about a third less than the national average and is a model for low cost/high quality medical care. The dramatic doctor/patient stories filmed at these two hospitals illuminate the powerful forces driving soaring health care costs as well as proven strategies that effectively reign in excessive medical spending.

With remarkable candor, MONEY & MEDICINE captures the painful end-of-life treatment choices made by patients and their families, ranging from very aggressive interventions in the ICU to palliative care at home. The film also investigates the controversy surrounding diagnostic testing and screening as well as the shocking treatment variations among patients receiving a variety of elective procedures.

As the focus of health care reform shifts from the access crisis to the cost crisis, MONEY & MEDICINE makes a timely contribution to the debate over cost containment and deficit reduction.



Grade Level: 10 - 12, College, Adults
US Release Date: 2012     Copyright Date: 2012
DVD ISBN: 1-93777-213-6

Reviews "Money and Medicine is a powerfully insightful view of the challenges that result from a medical system that profits from disease care. We can't move forward until we recognize these current economic barriers. This film offers a mirror for a medical system that is in need of self-reflection towards recognizing dysfunctional habits. It offers opportunities for change towards a new path that has health as its primary intent." Dr. David Rakel, Founder and Director, Integrative Medicine Program, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin "A fascinating documentary. By contrasting two very different health care systems--UCLA and Intermountain in Utah--Roger Weisberg brilliantly illustrates the dedication of health care practitioners, ethical dilemmas facing patients and doctors, and the fundamental fiscal and clinical challenges facing our U.S. health care system." Dr. Jonathan Skinner, Professor of Economics, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Dartmouth College "Money and Medicine should be required viewing for every patient, physician, and politician. It thoughtfully describes what ails American healthcare and highlights the tremendous opportunities to make it well, and to do more with less. I will use it in my own health policy and health economics classes." Amitabh Chandra, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University "An excellent and thoughtful treatment of this important subject. Money and Medicine deserves the widest possible exposure because it explains clearly why our health system is so expensive and inefficient, and shows what needs to be done about it. I hope this engrossing film enjoys the popular success it should have. It could very likely help to create public support for the reforms we need." Dr. Arnold S. Relman, Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Social Medicine, Harvard University, Author, A Second Opinion: Rescuing America's Health Care "Honest, hard-hitting discussion of a topic critical for all Americans. These are highly qualified experts with on-the-ground experience and a comprehensive view of what needs to be done to save healthcare." John Griffith, Professor Emeritus, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Author, The Well-Managed Health Care Organization "A hard hitting, thoughtful documentary...It addresses challenging ethical, financial, professional, and human issues with appropriate nuance and stark frankness...Poignantly illustrated are major differences in medical economics comparing approaches of two major health systems to identical issues. This documentary belongs in every medical school curriculum and should be viewed by health professionals who are concerned about runaway costs across the US." Dr. Victor Sierpina, Professor of Integrative Medicine, Professor of Family Medicine, University of Texas "Using heart-wrenching personal dramas, Weisberg insightfully puts a human face on unnecessary procedures that may do more harm than good. An eye-opening account of an unrestrained system feeding on itself, Money and Medicine not only enlightens, but also gives hope that it is not too late for us to afford the quality medical care we deserve." Sandy Wolf, Cinequest Film Festival "How long should a life be prolonged by medical technology? A powerful and timely documentary, Money and Medicine takes on this difficult subject." San Luis Obispo International Film Festival "Excellent description of some of the big issues in modern medicine. Money and Medicine hits the mark." Dr. Lewis R. Goldfrank, Director, Emergency Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center and NYU Medical Center "Money and Medicine is smashing. Every American needs to watch this." Tom Emerick, Chief Strategy Officer, Laurus Strategies "Terrific! [The filmmakers have] taken a subject that can be so complicated and explained it so effectively...[The film] doesn't just illuminate the problem but demonstrates that there is an alternative...A very persuasive aid for people working for health care reform. Bravo!" Julie Salamon, Author, Hospital "Incredibly important and impressive!...Very effective in telling the story of the healthcare predicament we are in." Rabbi Richard Jacobs, President, Union for Reform Judaism "Nicely balanced...Should help to provoke the sort of healthy public discussion that we need." Dr. Neil Wenger, Chair, Ethics Committee, UCLA Medical Center "Superb...It was obviously fair, as well as sympathetic about the huge challenges that are out there...Will really get lots of people thinking." Dr. Jerome Hoffman, Professor Emeritus, Emergency Medicine, UCLA Medical Center "Stories--especially first--hand accounts from patients, family members, and care-givers-bring statistics and data to life, and can communicate the need for improvement in immediate and powerful ways...Money and Medicine tells the story of a healthcare system that's not serving the needs of patients and threatens national prosperity." Maureen Bisognano, Institute for Healthcare Improvement "Talks honestly about the incentive of profit in health care while juxtaposing the actual financial costs of various treatments and procedures with the profound human costs of undergoing those treatments." Janice Lynch Schuster, Altarum Institute, Health Policy Forum "As health care costs continue to soar, these crucial questions and related problems concerning the phenomenon of overtreatment need to be faced head-on. Perhaps Money and Medicine's most important lesson lies in its emphasis on the importance of peer review and the group pooling of information among medical professionals...Highly recommended." The Midwest Book Review "Weisberg raises a number of disturbing and compelling questions that cannot easily be answered, and the renewed focus on the subject following the Supreme Court's affirmation of President Obama's healthcare reform legislation ensures that this film will remain timely for the future. Recommended." Video Librarian "An excellent film...A very informative and eye-opening piece of filmmaking. It is exactly the kind of material that I would use in class discussions of medical anthropology or medical sociology...The intimate portraits of real people, both patients and kin, make for a moving and personal experience...The film is timely, important, and well-done, and I look forward to its impact on students, the public, and hopefully the medical profession." Jack David Eller, Community College of Denver, Anthropology Reviews Online