I just finished reading Better, by Atul Gawande, and I must say: I'm impressed.
I had picked up the book for reasons that I no longer recall, although it likely had something to do with my ongoing interest in medicine and how it works, how it's administered. I had vaguely heard of this guy before, and thought that perhaps he was the smiling talking head on CNN who specialized in medicine (turns out it wasn't). The idea that he might actually know what he was talking about didn't really occur to me -- I figured he was a lightweight, and that was okay: I am frequently in the mood for lightweight transfusions of knowledge.
As it turns out, he is better than that. He actually comes across as a thoughtful, intelligent person who thinks about medicine a lot, and who is intrigued by the idea of improvement -- generally, but in medicine specifically. He wondered why certain centers for the treatment of cystic fibrosis got markedly better results than others, despite having the same level of training, dedication, and equipment. He wondered why surgeons in rural, dusty hospitals in India can get markedly better results than surgeons in more developed, better equipped countries. He wondered why some people get well, and others don't. He wondered why some surgeons get better results than others. For each of this, he did research - traveling to the places where cystic fibrosis is treated, going to India to observe and participate in medical care there. He talked to people, thought about it, and wrote about it.
If this guy gave a lecture, I'd go to listen. He's worth hearing. He's a doctor I can respect.
4 comments:
So does this help you formulate a more cogent opinion on the health care bills being developed?
Not really. The book isn't oriented toward the administration of health care, but rather the development of improvements in the effectiveness of health care.
FWIW, I like the idea of the public option, a lot. I doubt it can deliver the same level of coverage at the same cost as group private insurance can, but its worth exploring. I never understand the idea that if you're in a group, you get one rate, but as soon as you leave the group, you get charged more. That's not right.
I think we will never be able to provide equal care to all. The rich will always get better service, unless we want totally socialized medicine and I do not want to go that way.
I agree. I'm thinking more of people who can't get even basic care. They need help. I know that die-hard Republicans translate basic into 'oh, they want private rooms, private doctors, and chocolates on the pillow', but I'm not. I just don't like the idea of people who have to go with nothing because they have no funds to give to it. I don't like treating people that way. Thats not the kind of country I want to live in.
I realize that there WILL be people who want to push the limits; some will tug at your heart. And some of them will hire lawyers to push the system. I don't have an answer for that, other than to say you have to start somewhere.
I know that a better answer would be to make health care delivery less expensive, but everyone seems to a) agree and b) think that their part of the costs is reasonable.
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