@kensanata That you're discussing this in the context of health care / healing is highly appropriate.
I think you'll find this is the case in many (all?) of the areas I consider to be "hygine factors" in my #TechOntology.
That is:
1/
@kensanata
Because of numerous aspects of market function, we tend to compensate based on service or product delivery rather than based on achieved results. There's also a challenge in measuring or assessing hygiene interventions, simply because they're long-term, indirect, and in general covert rather than manifest.
The sociologist Robert K. Merton came up with (or substantially developed) the notions of manifest & covert functions as well as intended and unintended consequences. He makes a strong argument that covert functions are conceptually more significant knowledge simply by fact that they're less evident or obvious.
#TechOntology #ManifestFunctions #CovertFunctions #Hygiene #RobertKMerton
2/
@kensanata
An alternative is the traditional "chinese doctor payment model": you pay the doctor when you're well, the doctor's incentive is to keep you well, and to restore your health at minimal cost and time.
Keep in mind that this can still be a market-based mechanism. What's changed, though, is the notion of what specificially the good or service being sought is, where the value lies, and what constitutes cost.
Though it might also be considered a state (or other collective) interest, and that the healthcare sector is delivering a service (a healthy and capable population) to the community as a whole.
(Education and other social services might be similarly considered, though here, education as a service to employers in delivering a capable workforce is another interpretation --- not without its own set of implications.)
#RobertKMerton #Hygiene #CovertFunctions #ManifestFunctions #TechOntology
3/end/
Doc Edward Morbius ⭕