Perspectives
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 17, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
A generation ago, the doctor always knew best. Medical decision-making was cloaked in secrecy. Medical charts and Xrays were handled clandestinely. And hospitals’ outcomes, volumes, and mortality rates were not available for general consumption—if the data were...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 9, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
We have long known that factors outside of medical care—race, education, housing, income, and other social determinants—are the most important drivers of how healthy or sick we are. It is not new information that people of color get unequal health care and have poorer...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 9, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
The public health laboratory (PHL) system in the United States is composed of a web of local, state, and federal facilities that provide a broad scope and level of services. Supporting the workforce of the PHL network is particularly challenging due to the impact of...
by Laura DeStefano | May 3, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
Health care delivery is changing in virtually every domain—affecting primary, tertiary, and quaternary care; crossing disciplines and engaging all health professions; and involving both processes and outcomes of care. All of these changes are marked by a major...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 23, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Rising health care costs continue to stress budgets at all levels—family, employer, state, and national. At the same time, the results from health care are not commensurate with this level of investment. But there is cause for optimism that results can improve: the...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 19, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
More than ever, health care providers need to help purchasers make intelligent, value-based decisions. Providers are being asked to reduce the total cost of care, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and move quickly on innovations that add value. But without...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 15, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Most people who receive health care in the United States recognize that the system is complicated and fragmented. What they are less likely to know is that opportunities to learn from the care provided in hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices are...
by Laura DeStefano | Apr 12, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
The obvious answer of “no” to the question of readiness is not just due to the ongoing loss of experienced staff. Loss of infrastructure is bad enough, but even a well-staffed health department needs safe and effective treatment tools when more than 100 high school...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 5, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
Decades of research from the Dartmouth Atlas have shown that unwarranted variations in elective surgery are pervasive in the United States. Decision aids (DAs) are evidence-based sources of health information that can help patients make informed treatment decisions...
by Laura DeStefano | Mar 22, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
Support for core public health capacity is diminishing; outbreaks of microbial threats are not. In 2012 there were a number of high-profile threats (see the box below) that demanded public health intervention to protect the public. It is well understood that the role...
