When you need a prescription drug, often your doctor has a choice. What’s best for one patient with your condition might not be best for you-choosing the best drug is a matter of problem-solving, of matching a person’s variables-age, gender, allergies, other health issues, etc.-with the drug most likely to provide benefit with minimal risk….
Continue ReadingQuality outcome measures
Longer Lives for Ovarian Cancer Patients: The Only Secret Is Experience
Two treatments are proven to lengthen the lives of women with ovarian cancer, but only 1 in 3 patients gets them, according to a new study. It’s no mystery why. The old rule for better health care — experience, experience, experience — is proven out again. Ovarian cancer is a bone-scary diagnosis because of its….
Continue ReadingShould Mehmet Oz Operate on You?
If you’re a patient facing serious heart surgery — a transplant or a valve replacement, say, anything that requires surgeons to stop the heart from beating while they repair it — you want the most skilled, experienced hands working inside your chest. All other things being equal, nobody wants a part-time doctor working on them…..
Continue ReadingScary Numbers and Sobering Questions about Diagnostic Errors
In an insightful piece published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), three physicians ponder why errors in diagnosis are not represented in efforts to improve the quality of medical care and, ultimately, patient safety. According to the authors, 40,000-80,000 people die every year from diagnostic errors; those are defined as mistakes….
Continue ReadingStarting a Dialog between Attorneys and Surgeons about Medical Malpractice
I was honored to be invited to speak the other day to a leadership conference of the American College of Surgeons about medical malpractice. They assured me I could leave my bullet-proof vest at home, and true to their word, the assembled surgeons were cordial and asked excellent questions. Even better, they told me how….
Continue ReadingWe Know More About Medical Error and the Harm It Creates … But Not Enough
Twelve years ago, Helen Haskell’s son died because of a series of medical errors. That sad episode prompted her to found Mothers Against Medical Error (MAME), which offers support and advice for people who share such tragedy. Haskell’s ongoing effort to quantify medical errors and the harm they can cause are detailed in her story….
Continue ReadingMore Evidence that Throwing Bucks at Cancer May Not Improve Survival
A recent study published in Health Affairs either proves the superiority of U.S. medical care for cancer, or illustrates again how ignorance of basic statistical principles can lead to wrong conclusions. The study found that U.S. cancer patients who were diagnosed between 1995 and 1999 lived, on average, 11.1 years after their diagnosis. Similar patients….
Continue ReadingSetting Standards for Research and Treatment
Created by the health reform legislation of 2010, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is charged with helping to determine the most effective treatments using objective, science-based standards. We introduced this agency to our readers last year. Last week, as reported by Kaiser Health News, the PCORI issued its draft priorities and research agenda. What….
Continue ReadingVictims of Rare Diseases See New Focus on “Orphan Drug” Research
A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives seeks to update legislation for “orphan” diseases and drugs. “Orphan” status denotes disorders that are extremely rare-generally afflicting 6,000 or fewer patients. Pharmaceutical companies have no financial incentive to develop drugs and treatments for them because there aren’t enough users to pay the costs and sustain….
Continue ReadingFinally, Accurate Report Cards Will Be Released on Doctors’ Safety and Quality of Care
Knowledge, they say, is power. It’s also a necessary tool for crafting cost-effective medical practices and protecting patient safety. Medicare has an enormous claims database from which valuable knowledge can be mined. Finally, within about one year, employers, insurance companies and consumer groups will be able to unearth its information to produce “report cards” on….
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