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Book Titles No access
The Myths of Modern Medicine
The Alarming Truth about American Health Care
Authors:
Publisher:
2014
Summary
The American health care system is terminally ill. It is astonishingly expensive, remarkably variable in quality, and incapable of stemming the rising tide of chronic illness in our population. Yet, the majority of Americans believe it is the best system in the world and cling to the belief that, far from ailing, it delivers care superior to those of countries across the globe.
The system has obliged us by providing an elaborate set of myths and misconceptions about American health care that significantly shape our beliefs. These myths keep us blissfully ignorant about the true quality, safety, and value of the care we receive. This ignorance has a price: it leads us to draw erroneous conclusions about our conditions, fail to properly evaluate potential treatment options, and rarely question our providers’ competency.
The Myths of Modern Medicine looks at the real issues contributing to the dysfunction of our healthcare system and how these issues affect the care we receive. The book, based upon John Leifer’s 30 years of immersion in the healthcare industry, challenges some of our most commonly held misperceptions about this vitally important industry. Leifer strips away the elaborately constructed myths that conceal the ugly underbelly of healthcare and lays bare the truth about an industry that serves special interest groups far better than it serves its patients.
A survival guide for anyone entering the healthcare system, this timely work helps consumers better research provider competency; ask the right questions to evaluate potential treatment options; and communicate the information that will help yield the right treatment decisions. Several studies have shown patients today have only about a 50 percent chance of getting the generally accepted best treatment for their conditions. This book helps consumers increase these odds with step-by-step directions on how to interact more productively with their doctors and become true partners in making what may be the most crucial decisions of their lives.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2014
ISBN-Print
978-1-4422-2595-4
ISBN-Online
978-1-4422-2596-1
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
295
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Introduction: The End of Blind Faith and the Beginning of Transformational Change in Health Care No access
Myth 1“The United States Boasts the Best Health Care in the World” No access Pages 1 - 20
Myth 2“Shopping for Health Care Is Like Shopping for a Car; You Base Your Decisions on Good Information” No access Pages 21 - 46
Myth 3“Medical Interventions Are Based on Scientific Evidence of Positive Outcomes regarding Best Practices; as a Result, Patients Receive Precisely the Care They Need” No access Pages 47 - 76
Myth 4“Where One Chooses to Receive Care Will Have No Bearing on Their Treatment Options, Outcomes, or Cost” No access Pages 77 - 90
Myth 5“All Physicians Are Created Equal” No access Pages 91 - 124
Myth 6“There’s No Better Place to Be When You Are Ill than the Hospital” No access Pages 125 - 164
Myth 7“The Prescription I Was Given Is Safe, Proven, and Effective” No access Pages 165 - 194
Myth 8“I’m Just the Patient; I’m Not Part of the Problem” No access Pages 195 - 210
Myth 9“My Insurance Company’s First Concern Is My Health” No access Pages 211 - 226
Myth 10“When All Else Fails, at Least the System Will Allow Me to Die with Dignity” No access Pages 227 - 242
