Institute of Medicine Study Interim Report

Social Security has given the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences a contract to study SSA's listings of impairments and access to medical expertise. The final report is not due until later this year, but, at SSA's request, the Committee conducting the study has issued an interim report. The interim report is like most such consultant reports -- full of vague, meaningless exhortations to do better. It is also like most such reports in being somewhat self-serving. It is a report prepared by physicians which makes the surprising recommendation that more money be paid to physicians working for SSA and state agencies and to physicians preforming consultative examinations. This is undoubtedly well justified, but hardly a surprise. One would still like some new idea from this panel and there is certainly none in this interim report, nor is there any recommendation that has much real hope of meaningful implementation of what has been recommended.