I think it is really important to have transparency and standardization go hand in hand. It doesn't do anyone any good when it's not standard. Not everything can be standardized, as you pointed out, but many things can. I think those are all up for discussion. Whether they should be top-down or include the voices of those who are on the front lines actually providing care? That would be a great idea.
Physician and author Vivian Lee talks about her book The Long Fix with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Lee argues that we can transform health care in the United States, though it may take a while. She argues that the current fee-for-service system incentivizes doctors to provide services rather than keep patients healthy and that these are not the same thing. Topics explored include innovations in Medicare and in technology that might change treatment incentives as well as the weird world of health care pricing.