November 12th, 2011 by GarySchwitzer in Opinion
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I have written many times on this blog about one shining example of the medical arms race – the slow (some would say not so slow), steady, proliferation of huge and hugely expensive proton beam radiation facilities in medical centers in the US. I have written about how the proliferation never seems to occur in single units – rarely just one per town – but almost always two simultaneously – the medical arms race among health care institutions and providers at play.
The latest chapter is playing out in San Diego, as captured by HealthLeaders Media Online senior editor Cheryl Clark.
Excerpts:
“As members of the debt reduction “super committee” wrestle to slice $400 billion from Medicare over 10 years, I wonder what they might say about the $430 million proton beam center war now being waged a few miles from my home in San Diego.
This nearly half a billion dollar investment in proton therapy is a big part of Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
October 28th, 2011 by Jessie Gruman, Ph.D. in Opinion
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On October 4th, 2011, I delivered the Alex Drapos Memorial Lecture at Clark University as part of their ongoing President’s Lecture Series. Here’s what Jim Keogh, Director of News and Editorial Services, reported about my talk:
Gruman said American health care treads a fine line between trying to serve the good of the many and the interests of the individual. But no one has yet figured out a cost-effective, yet humane, way to do both. She asserted that the skyrocketing expense of health care — expected to rise to $4.64 trillion by 2020 — isn’t reflected in the quality of treatment people receive.
“Should we be able to choose whatever medicine we want, even if there’s no evidence it’s effective?” ~ Jessie Gruman
“There is much ineffective, extra, inappropriate care being delivered,” Gruman said. As an example she cited Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Prepared Patient Forum: What It Takes Blog*
September 9th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Opinion
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In The Innovator’s Prescription Clayton Christensen details how technology is disrupting health care. He describes the provision of medical care as occurring on a spectrum ranging from intuitive medicine to precision medicine. Intuitive medicine is care for conditions loosely diagnosed by symptoms and treated with therapies of unclear efficacy. Precision medicine is the delivery of care for diseases that can be precisely diagnosed and with predictable, evidence-based treatments. Intuitive medicine is almost entirely dependent upon clinical judgment. Precision medicine not as much. 19th century medicine was intuitive; the 21st century will prove precise.
When we think about our role as doctors, we like to see ourselves as providers of intuitive medicine. It’s how we were all trained – products of 20th century mentoring. And so we see of ourselves just as indispensable as we were 100 years ago. But as medicine makes its march toward predictive care all of this will change.
There’s an endemic insecurity among the 21st century doctors: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
August 18th, 2011 by Dr. Val Jones in Book Reviews
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Food Truths, Food Lies, written by family physician Eric Marcotte, M.D., may be the most refreshingly evidence-based diet book of the decade. You will not find a single mention of super-foods, magical berries, or supplement “must-haves” in the entire book. What you will find is the cold, hard truth about why many Americans are overweight, and what it takes to become a healthy eater.
Marcotte writes for the average American – his simple language, matter-of-fact tone, and regular reminders of what the reader has learned, make for a quick and memorable read. Although it’s clear that Marcotte has carefully distilled his dietary advice from the scientific literature, he refrains from burdening the reader with too many footnotes and references. Instead, he has created a kind of Cliff’s Notes of nutrition, having done the “heavy sifting” for us. What remains are the most basic principles underlying all healthy eating, such as:
*You can’t exercise your way to weight loss (i.e. you can’t outrun your own mouth – it’s much easier to eat more calories than you burn) Read more »
August 8th, 2011 by GarySchwitzer in Opinion, Research
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The surgeon who blogs as Skeptical Scalpel writes that he (she?) is unable to contain him(her)self any longer and then lunges into a review of evidence (or lack thereof) for robotic surgery.
You may disagree with Skeptical Scalpel’s decision to be anonymous, but he/she explains:
“I’ve been a surgeon for almost 40 years and a surgical department chairman for over 23 of those years. During much of that time, conforming to the norms, rules and regulations of government agencies, accrediting bodies, hospitals, societies, and social convention was necessary for survival. I was always somewhat outspoken but in a controlled way most of the time. I now have a purely clinical surgery practice with no meetings, site visits or administrative hassles. I am free to speak my mind about medicine or anything else.”
On robotics, Skeptical Scalpel writes: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
