Statins, Diabetes, and Animal House

For those who haven’t heard, a new study has shown that statins (to treat cholesterol) raise the chances of the person, who is taking the medication, of getting diabetes by 50%.  This is the fourth publication to show that.   It looks like a real risk.  Wow.  So, let me get this straight.  The idiots in the government and the insurance countries want to measure us doctors on quality indicators.  Those indicators include such things as whether a person with high cholesterol is getting treated with a statin.  If we do that, however, then that person may get diabetes.   Another indicator is that all diabetics should be on a statin but you have to wonder if this makes their diabetes worse.   This is like a catch 22 or a conversation from Animal House:

Larry: Okay. That means that our whole solar system could be, like one tiny atom in the fingernail of some other giant being. [Jennings nods] This is too much! That means one tiny atom in my fingernail could be–
Prof. Jennings: Could be one little tiny universe.
Larry: Could I buy some pot from you

That’s the answer!  Medical marijuana.  Ok, I am kidding but this whole “plan” with patients using or overusing statins just might not be perfect yet.  And that is the problem with paying doctors on their patients’ numbers.  P4P (pay for performance)  is a flawed system because the people in charge are unable to be flexible and change quick enough and because what we think we know may not be a fixed law in the universe.