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You are here > Home > Reading Lists > Politics, Policy & Reform > Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine Overdosed America: The Broken
Promise of American Medicine Softcover: 384 pages "A powerful and coherent case that American medicine has gone badly astray and needs a new paradigm - one untainted by profits." --Publishers Weekly "A compelling and well-documented analysis... a book every American should read." - Elliott Fisher, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School Using the examples of Vioxx, Celebrex, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, and anti-depressants, Overdosed America shows that at the heart of the current crisis in American medicine lies the commercialization of medical knowledge itself. Drawing on his background in statistics, epidemiology, and health policy, John Abramson, M.D., an award-winning family doctor on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School, reveals the ways in which the drug companies have misrepresented statistical evidence, misled doctors, and compromised our health. The good news is that the best scientific evidence shows that reclaiming responsibility for your own health is often far more effective than taking the latest blockbuster drug. You, your doctor, and your legislative representative, will all be stunned by this unflinching exposé of American medicine. John Abramson, M.D., has worked as a family doctor in Appalachia and in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and has served as chairman of the department of family practice at Lahey Clinic. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow and is currently on the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School, where he teaches primary care. "Abramson’s book will have you rethinking your relationship with your doctor and your health." - The Oregonian (Portland) "The real story about the drugs we take--this book should be read by everyone before they pop another pill." - Susan Love, MD, MBA "Overdosed America reveals the greed and corruption that drive health care costs skyward and now threaten the public health... Before you see a doctor, you should read this book." - Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation "Enlightening." --Washington Post Book World "According to Abramson, Americans are overmedicated and overmedicalized as a result of the commercialization of health care. Falling prey to marketing campaigns, we demand unnecessary and expensive drugs and procedures, believing they constitute the best possible medical care. Wrong, says Abramson: though more post-heart attack procedures are performed in the U.S. than in Canada, one-year survival rates are the same. Similarly, notes Abramson, a former family practitioner who teaches at Harvard Medical School, we spend more on high-tech neonatology than other Western countries but have a higher infant-mortality rate because of inattention to low-tech prenatal care. Abramson deconstructs the scientific sleight of hand in presenting clinical trial results that leads to the routine prescription of pricey cholesterol-lowering drugs even when their effectiveness has not been proven; he examines what he calls 'supply-sensitive medical services' - the near-automatic use of medical technologies, such as cardiac catheterization, less because they are needed than because they are available. Abramson's bottom line: 'More care doesn't necessarily mean better care.' He makes a powerful and coherent case that American medicine has gone badly astray and needs a new paradigm-one untainted by profits." - Publishers Weekly If you are interested in policy or books about health care reform, please see our up-to-date collection here: Politics, Policy & Reform. (information from the publisher) Jump to a List / Health Administration & Leadership / Physician Executive, Medical Staff & Practice Management / Finance, Accounting, Economics, Billing & Reimbursement / Coding for Hospital, Physician & Clinical Services / Law, Malpractice, Ethics, Accreditation & Compliance / Quality Improvement, Outcomes & Customer Service / Risk Management, Security, Error Reduction & Patient Safety / Information Systems, Technology & Medical Records / Clinical Management & Executive Nursing / Behavioral Health, Social Work & Psychiatry Management / Human Resources, Management & Supervision / Directories, Data, Trends & Benchmarks / Software & CD-ROMs / Gift Ideas & Recommended Gifts / Journals, Magazines & Newsletters / Search for Books / Books Index / You may also be interested in: / Directory of Healthcare Recruiters Return to Pages: / Home Page / Toolbox for Health Administrators / Book Lists & Bookstore |
