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Wednesday, March 25. 2015

Measuring doctors by the numbers


Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York is likely the foremost cancer center in the world. However, in US rankings, it is at the bottom of hospital rankings because most of their patients die, as one might expect from a tertiary care cancer center. If you looked at the rankings, you would avoid the place as a death trap.


For another example, cardiac surgeons who are willing to take on the most difficult, or oldest, cases have the worst survival ratings. Of course they do. They are the best at what they do so they take on high-risk cases.


That's why No More Numbers makes sense.


Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Medical, Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 16:16 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

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100% of us will die. In the civilized world we all have access to health care and doctors. So the simple fact is 100% of us in the first world die while under the care of the best doctors in the world. Now those are some numbers. As with everything the truth and the facts are not always the same thing. I know three, nope, four oncologists well enough to call them by their first name and tell them jokes about my problems. I have had two lobes from my lungs removed in two seperate operations. As I told my surgeon I don't know if I can keep doing this much longer. I buy my surgeons candy after successful operations. I make sure I give them my heartfelt thanks for their care and efforts on my behalf. Now I am going again next week to another specialist for another one of those unexpected growths in a place it doesn't belong. I'm going to die of cancer one day, at least I will if I'm careful and don't die of something else first. But it won't be for lack of good health care and wonderful doctors. If we all are lucky enough to live a long life we will all die from one of the big three (heart disease, cancer or stroke). This won't be a failure of healthcare or hospitals it will simply be the circle of life. I am just thankful that there are good doctors and nurses who dedicate themselves to helping others.
#1 GoneWithTheWind on 2015-03-25 18:30 (Reply)
This is first world life.
we aren't dying of starvation, TB, beri-beri, schistosomiasis,
Malaria, dengue fever, polio or chickungunya. (Or at least we weren't before the illegal invasion)

The whole numbers thing is the same as the whole science thing. People are stupid in general and have no critical thinking skills in the age of endless information at our fingertips, the majority of humans wallow in ignorance, faux science and the alarmist crisis of the moment. There was something highly amusing that i read regarding correlation and statistics. Making nonrelated issues look cause/effect by wording.

My dad was successfully treated for cancer at MSK over 30 yrs ago.
#2 fjord on 2015-03-25 19:05 (Reply)
An oncologist once told me that contrary to popular belief, Sloane Kettering is actually a very conservative institution and does not use cutting edge medicine to treat patients. It was not meant as a criticism but simply his honest assessment of different philosophies as to what treatments should be given to cancer patients. Just one person's opinion, but he was an expert in a medical malpractice case, and was helping me to defend a doctor in a civil lawsuit. Other hospitals in extreme cases are much more willing to try new techniques than MSK, at least according to this doc.
#3 peter on 2015-03-25 19:09 (Reply)
Quite possibly. Most patients at MSK are put on research/current best practice protocols.
#3.1 Dr B on 2015-03-25 19:17 (Reply)

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