Cutting medical care costs. Primum non nocere.

A serious slowdown in the nation's economy has led to widespread agreement that the rate of escalation of medical care costs must be slowed. In responding to the pressures to cut costs, physicians need to be guided by the basic tenet of medicine: first do no harm. In recent years, this nation has made extraordinary progress in improving health and longevity. A recent study suggestively links reductions in mortality to increased expenditures for health. Thus, physicians should watch closely how the nation reduces medical care expenses. We suggest a series of yardsticks that might track the effects of the nation's cost-cutting efforts on personal health. Keeping a careful eye on where people receive care, how frequently they see a physician, trends in mortality, and the adequacy or timeliness of care could help us keep our sights set on the continuing improvement of the health of Americans.