In September the United States Preventive Services Taskforce, a panel of medical experts, concluded that tests to screen for ovarian cancer do more harm than good. As a result, insurers will not be required by federal law to pay for such tests. And the announcement was met with near silence. Why was this recommendation greeted…
I had the great pleasure of speaking with Tess Vigeland, host of Marketplace Money. We discussed my book Critical Decisions in the context of what shared decision making means about patients paying attention to the cost of their medical care. Listen to the whole segment, because she is a great interviewer. And find out why…
Here is a short video introducing one of the themes of Critical Decisions: the challenge of making shared decisions when physicians unwittingly deluge their patients with too much jargon laden information. Feel free to forward the link to your friends.
It is not an easy time to be a physician in the United States. Attempt to order an expensive test for a patient and an insurance company is likely to second guess your decision. Try upholding the bottom line for your medical practice and the government will probably start questioning whether you are overcharging for…
“The Ulysses Strategy” – The New Yorker
“Your New Liver Is Only a Learjet Away” – Forbes
If you want a sneak peak at Critical Decisions, my Aussie publisher has an excerpt up on its website. And you get to see their cover design too. Here is a link to the excerpt. It is from the prologue. Hope it whets your appetite. For more!
A cranky customer snaps at his barista, lodging an unjustifiable complaint about the service, the temperature of the drink…about anything and everything. He came into the store angry (and in pain from a chronic illness) and he needed something–or someone!–to take it out on. He is met by a well-trained smile, the barista doling out…
In exciting news for breast cancer patients, the FDA recently approved Perjeta, a new treatment for metastatic breast cancer that delays progression of the disease by six months. But can we afford to offer this drug to every woman who could potentially benefit?… (Read more and view comments at Forbes)
As a fan of free markets, I recognize that sometimes intelligent government regulations (not always an oxymoron!) can improve markets by requiring companies to provide consumers with information that will help them make better choices. Informed consumers, after all, are a central ingredient of a successful free market. That’s why even most libertarians support regulations…