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Why Physician Ratings Aren’t Quite Adequate Yet

August 17th, 2011 by Jessie Gruman, Ph.D. in Opinion
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“Most physicians are competent and able to take care of most of the problems patients present with.  The standards for getting into medical school are high and for getting out are higher.  I think this call for patients to become experts in picking their doctors is overstated.”  – David Rovner, MD, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University

Most?  What does “most” mean?  Can most doctors treat me for the flu?  How about pancreatic cancer? Must I conduct the same type of research to choose a doctor to set my broken arm that I do to find one to treat my mom’s congestive heart failure?   Is the same level and type of research necessary to find a good surgeon as for a primary care clinician? Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Prepared Patient Forum: What It Takes Blog*

“Social Mission”: A Primary Care Score For Medical Schools

June 30th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
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Medical schools are traditionally ranked on criteria like research funding and technological innovation. These rankings are highly significant. A place on the U.S. News‘ annual “Best Medical School” list  is a coveted spot indeed.

So that’s why there was some media attention paid to a recent study from the Annals of Internal Medicine, which ranked medical schools according to their “social mission” — a phrase that defines a school’s commitment to primary care, underserved populations and workforce diversity. Using this new criterion, some of the traditionally high ranking schools fell significantly. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*