Some health care experts contend that the nation has too many doctors, who drive up costs by ordering unnecessary tests and expensive procedures.

Many doctors believe so-called defensive medicine - ordering tests and procedures to avoid lawsuits - is a major reason health costs are so high.

The system is intended to discourage doctors from ordering expensive tests and procedures that may not be needed.

Doctors often complain that they have been excluded or threatened with exclusion because they ordered too many tests and procedures.

The law is intended to shield doctors from malpractice lawsuits while encouraging them to stop ordering wasteful tests and procedures.

Call 744-6108 for prices and ordering procedures.

"The physicians can go back to practicing without constraints," he said, for example ordering more tests and procedures.

Crichton had ordered such procedures on others many times.

He ordered new procedures to make it more difficult to transfer classified data.

Honeywell also acknowledges, however, that some doctors might not order enough procedures, and patients could suffer.