Demanding Medical Excellence: Doctors and Accountability in the Information Age | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael L. Millenson
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
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Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 261050
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 469
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1
ISBN: 0226525880
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.10973
EAN: 9780226525884
ASIN: 0226525880
Publication Date: February 15, 2000
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Michael L. Millenson's Demanding Medical Excellence is guaranteed to make you feel good about the managed care industry--especially after he gets finished chronicling the medical nightmares of the past. Prior to the days of HMOs, doctors were like the gunslingers of the Wild West, operating under their own rules, with no standards by which to measure the quality of their care and no systems to regulate consistent practices. Millenson, a science writer, shows that--until the mid-'80s, when managed health care became more in demand--medical practices varied wildly from place to place and doctor to doctor. In some areas of Minnesota, for example, cesarean births were as high as 48 percent, while in others, they only comprised 9 percent. Even worse, many doctors are still unaware of the latest discoveries in treating life-threatening conditions. For Millenson, managed care is a way of systematically assuring quality control in the health field, making sure that information about new techniques and treatments are widely disseminated, and that the caliber of care is consistently high.
Product Description
Demanding Medical Excellence is a groundbreaking and accessible work that reveals how the information revolution is changing the way doctors make decisions. Michael Millenson, a three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee as a health-care reporter for the Chicago Tribune, illustrates serious flaws in contemporary medical practice and shows ways to improve care and save tens of thousands of lives.
"If you read only one book this year, read Demanding Medical Excellence. It's that good, and the revolution it describes is that important."—Health Affairs
"Millenson has done yeoman's work in amassing and understanding that avalanche of data that lies beneath most of the managed-care headlines. . . . What he finds is both important and well-explained: inconsistency, overlap, and inattention to quality measures in medical treatment cost more and are more dangerous than most cost-cutting measures. . . . [This book] elevates the healthcare debate to a new level and deserves a wide readership."—Library Journal
"An involving, human narrative explaining how we got to where we are today and what lies ahead."—Mark Taylor, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Read this book. It will entertain you, challenge, and strengthen you in your quest for better accountability in health care."—Alex R. Rodriguez, M.D., American Journal of Medical Quality
"Finally, a health-care book that doesn't wring its hands over the decline of medicine at the hands of money-grubbing corporations. . . . This is a readable account of what Millenson calls a 'quiet revolution' in health care, and his optimism makes for a refreshing change."—Publishers Weekly
"With meticulous detail, historical accuracy, and an uncommon understanding of the clinical field, Millenson documents our struggle to reach accountability."—Saty Satya-Murti, M.D., Journal of the American Medical Association
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Those mistakes were corrected January 11, 2004
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The mistakes mentioned by a reviewer below concerning hand-washing and hepatic necrosis were either not present or corrected before the printing of my copy of the book.
Interesting read January 1, 2004
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Lots and lots of research from this journalist! This would be great read for any would-be physician (like me) who is interested in delivering the best quality care. True, it does drag in the middle. So much information gets to you and you sort of become numb to the outcomes research statistics. In the end, the pace is picked up a little.
 interesting, but September 7, 2003
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
A fairly thought provoking book, but does leave a little to be desired. Millenson uses individual cases to thoughtfully express the challenges of healthcare which makes for fairly interesting reading. His biases are fairly open with a range of emotion from enthusiasm to anger of the complexities of healthcare. This is not your cup of tea if you're averse to journalistic hyperbole. While technologic successes have left many in the public optimistic about medical care in the U.S. and serious public health lapses would make one conclude otherwise, healthcare has evolved into a combination of a success and mess. Unfortunately there are few easy answers. One caveat: there are some errors in this book: On page 90 he notes, "In 1897, the Austrian physician Ignaz Semmelweis realized..." and on page 156 he states, "...postoperative damage to the kidneys, a condition widely known as massive hepatic necrosis." I'm no genius, but Semmelweis of handwashing fame made his case 50 years earlier. Also, hepatic necrosis would be the liver, not the kidneys. Fortunately, Millenson is only a reporter and not a doctor who he repeatedly lambastes. At least no was injured by his errors. Makes you wonder if there aren't many other mistakes, though.
 Terrible March 11, 2003
0 out of 11 found this review helpful
Perhaps the worst text I have ever read. The book is poorly written and painfully dull. Mr. Millenson lack of personality is quite evident, as well as his arrogance.
"Excellence" Describes Book Also May 2, 2002
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
What a wealth of information! And a guided tour of what can and is being done at hospitals and with the medical profession to provide better care and avoid what is termed "iatrogenic" (unplanned results)problems arising from medical care! Anyone who'll become or was a "subject" for hospital stay or operation can also derive some comfort from the book by being informed as to what is going on beyond the silken curtain of medical care. Worth reading--and keeping on the shelf to re-read from time to time as information contained is timeless. Author has done tremendous research and presents info clearly--and unsensationally.
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