In a post below, I wondered whether a publicity campign by a urologist to encourage women to get their male mates to have PSA and testosterone tests was only the product of that doctor or was it also endorsed by the North Shore-LIJ Health system. Well, the answer has come through, thanks to Dan Goldberg and Laura Nahmias at Capital New York. Along with quoting my blog, they reported:
Dr. Davi Samadi, chair of urology and chief of robotic surgery, has something called “The Samadi Challenge. It sounds a little like the ice bucket challenge. Women ask men in their lives to get their prostate and testosterone levels checked, then record a video challenging three other women to do the same.
...I asked L.I.J. for their response: “The seminar we are organizing is simply a community education/awareness initiative, pegged to the fact that women are the primary healthcare decision makers in most families. No other motivation. Because Dr Samadi maintains a high profile, he tends to be an occasional target of health care colleagues.”
We could spend a lot of time deconstructing what's going on here, but let's get to the basics:
An otherwise well respected health care system--one of the leaders in patient safety and quality of care--is now endorsing tests that have been the subject of tremendous recent controversy. When the question is raised about this program or its tendency to promote overuse of diagnostic tests, the health system's response is to assert that the criticism is based on the personality of the doctor in question. The system makes no attempt to address the legitimate issues of medical science raised.
Let's compare this type or response to the well considered message previously set forth in the "Commitment to Excellence" section of the system's website:
North Shore-LIJ has adopted a strategic plan for quality that is directly aligned with the national healthcare agenda. Our goal is to deliver exceptional quality service to every patient, in every care setting during each healthcare encounter. Our capacity to measure and report healthcare outcomes, realize cost efficiencies, and ensure patient safety through adherence to best practices are instrumental to providing high quality medical care to the communities we serve.
Or to this statement from the system's CEO about the system's strategic objectives:
Medical tests, which are overused in the US, will be reduced.
Oh, NS-LIJ, we hardly knew ye. Are the commercial wars so transformative? How have you changed so quickly?
Dr. Davi Samadi, chair of urology and chief of robotic surgery, has something called “The Samadi Challenge. It sounds a little like the ice bucket challenge. Women ask men in their lives to get their prostate and testosterone levels checked, then record a video challenging three other women to do the same.
...I asked L.I.J. for their response: “The seminar we are organizing is simply a community education/awareness initiative, pegged to the fact that women are the primary healthcare decision makers in most families. No other motivation. Because Dr Samadi maintains a high profile, he tends to be an occasional target of health care colleagues.”
We could spend a lot of time deconstructing what's going on here, but let's get to the basics:
An otherwise well respected health care system--one of the leaders in patient safety and quality of care--is now endorsing tests that have been the subject of tremendous recent controversy. When the question is raised about this program or its tendency to promote overuse of diagnostic tests, the health system's response is to assert that the criticism is based on the personality of the doctor in question. The system makes no attempt to address the legitimate issues of medical science raised.
Let's compare this type or response to the well considered message previously set forth in the "Commitment to Excellence" section of the system's website:
North Shore-LIJ has adopted a strategic plan for quality that is directly aligned with the national healthcare agenda. Our goal is to deliver exceptional quality service to every patient, in every care setting during each healthcare encounter. Our capacity to measure and report healthcare outcomes, realize cost efficiencies, and ensure patient safety through adherence to best practices are instrumental to providing high quality medical care to the communities we serve.
Or to this statement from the system's CEO about the system's strategic objectives:
Medical tests, which are overused in the US, will be reduced.
Oh, NS-LIJ, we hardly knew ye. Are the commercial wars so transformative? How have you changed so quickly?