April - 2016

The Great Myth: Why Health Care Reform is Failing both Patients and Medicare

A Novel Way to Present Health Information

Deception about Dementia: Why Early Detection can be Dangerous

Curing Medicare to be republished by Cornell University Press in 2016

Cancer screening: how conventional wisdom, quality indicators, and payment incentive equals poor ou

Rat Poison in the Nursing Home

PPI Use and Heart Attacks: Really?

The Real Value of Primary Care

The CDC and diseases of the elderly: Less factual than advertised

Baltimore Sun Op Ed Post

Forces of Change from within the Medical Community

I spent last weekend at the Lown Conference in Chicago. For those who do not know about Lown, it would be wise to find out more (www.lowninstitute.org) and to sign their Right Care Alliance declaration. The group is relatively young, and this was my second trip to their annual conference. Just as it was last year, the conference was an enlightening and energizing affair. Being with several hundred people who actually get it—from distinguished academics, to regular docs/np

The Great Myth: Why Health Care Reform is Failing both Patients and Medicare

Nothing is more pervasive in our medical consciousness than the idea that seeing a doctor, getting regular tests and cancer screens, and treating/fixing problems will keep us healthier. Up to a point this is correct; if we have symptoms of illness or are impaired medically there are certain tests and treatments that can help. But we have taken this notion too far, with the result being a financial collapse of our Medicare system, harm needlessly inflicted on older people, a