It’s been said that losing weight is much harder than kicking cigarettes or alcohol. After all, because one doesn’t need to smoke or drink, the offending substances can simply be kept out of sight (if not out of mind). Dieting, on the other hands, involves changing the way a person does something we all must [...]
Digital Distractions: Time for a Diet
by Bob Wachter on March 30, 2012 in Health Policy, Information Technology, Media/Press Coverage, Medical Ethics, Patient Safety/Medical Errors
The Patient Will Rate You Now
by Bob Wachter on March 19, 2012 in Ambulatory/Primary Care, Health Policy, Hospital Care, Information Technology, Pay-for-performance, Quality Measurement, Transparency and Reporting, United Kingdom Healthcare System
These days, I’d never consider trying a new restaurant or hotel without reading the on-line ratings on TripAdvisor or Yelp. I seldom even bother with professional restaurant or travel critics. Until recently, there was little patient-generated information about doctors, practices or hospitals to help inform patient decisions. But that is rapidly changing, and the results [...]
Cutting Healthcare Costs: Searching – Ever So Gingerly – For the Right Words
by Bob Wachter on March 1, 2012 in Efficiency, Health Policy, Quality Improvement, Quality Measurement
During my med school psychiatry rotation, I was taught not to shy away from discussing suicide with a depressed patient. “You won’t be suggesting something they haven’t thought about,” my professor told me back in 1982. “By not raising it, you add to the sense of stigma and it just becomes the elephant in the [...]
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The Dangers of Curbside Consults… and Why We Need Them
April 29, 2013
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When I Was In the Final Four
April 5, 2013
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Measuring the Quality of Doctors and Hospitals: When Is Good Enough, Good Enough?
April 1, 2013
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HIT Job: How the New York Times Blew it on Healthcare IT
February 26, 2013
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Bob on Twitter
- Strike @UCSFHospitals nears end; lab utilizatn way down. Evidence from past strikes is clinicians are able to ration/triage w/o bad outcomes 10 hours ago
- .@SGIM report recommends phaseout of fee-4-svc, other sensible changes to payment system. @NEJM #SteveSchroeder of @UCSF is coauthor. 11 hours ago
- Enjoyed my time at @ClevelandClinic Qual/Safety conf. Impressive people, structure, leadership (& amazing resources, incl boffo conf center) 11 hours ago
- Vic Fuchs argues HC spending closely tracks the GDP (implyng itll soar again w/ recovery). Impt cautionary note @NEJM bit.ly/10RbeIf 11 hours ago



