Atul Gawande, MD, who is the doctor-writer who has published frequently in the New Yorker and has published several well-regarded books, has written a great piece in the latest New Yorker.
It’s called Overkill. It’s basic premise is that he went back to McAllen, TX to see how things were going 5 years after his expose on its excesses. He discusses some doctors and other agencies that were charged with fraud and other illegal or inappropriate acts. He talks about the positive changes by primary care in McAllen and San Antonio (WellMed in particular).
No surprise, it’s another great piece from a great writer. He talks about the role of fear in driving patients’ expectations for more tests and treatments, which I discussed at length in my book, American HealthScare. He has generally been an influential voice in healthcare reform. Will anyone with power/influence be listening this time? Let’s hope so.
I wish Dr. Gawande would explain why he had to travel to Texas to expose the greed and venality of American physicians – he practices at Brigham/Women’s which is notorious for forcing highway-robbery fee schedules on insurers.