This week we have had a disquieting reminder of one of the challenges we face in overhauling health care in America – the public are deeply distrustful of “experts.”
The US Preventive Services Task Force – an appointed body of leading clinicians and scientists – issued a new recommendation of when women ought to have mammograms. [...]

Several people have asked me in the past few days for my perspective on what’s happening to health reform in Washington.

For what it’s worth, here goes –

Today we went to Machu Picchu.
It is called one of the seven wonders of the modern world — and now I know why.
It was an incredible experience. I am sure it will be the highpoint of our entire trip to Peru.
We took a half hour bus ride, a three hour train ride, then another [...]

I have applauded President Obama’s actions in making health care reform a prominent issue, and I was very glad to see that he mentioned health care, and science, repeatedly during his press conference Tuesday night.
The purpose for the press conference was to address the economy, and I think this is the context in which health [...]

It is clear that the new Obama Administration and the Congress are going to have a serious go at health reform this year.

As someone who has been trying to help accomplish a substantial overhaul of our flawed health care financing and delivery system for decades, this is a really interesting and even exciting time. A lot is at stake, but we have a major opportunity to make major improvements in health and health care in America.

A few days ago, I participated in a panel discussion at Biotech 2009, a conference in Raleigh, put on by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development.

I recently discussed my thoughts on health policy issues the new president should address with my alma mater, the University of Alabama – Birmingham School of Medicine, for its alumni newsletter. I talked about health insurance, budget needs for federal health programs and the possible reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services. To read the Fall 2008 issue, click http://www.uab.edu/images/uabmagazine/uabmedicine/fall2008/uabmedicine_fall2008.pdf here.

Improving safety and quality of care for our patients is usually difficult work that often goes unsung. That is why I was so excited to see our hospitals named among the 41 top hospitals in the U.S. for safety and quality for the second year running.
This recognition from The Leapfrog Group, a leading national [...]

Late last fall, I participated in a HealthLeaders roundtable discussion on the quality of health care with Dr. Donald M. Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Margaret O’Kane, president of the National Committee for Quality Assurance; and Mark Pickrell of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. We talked about lessons learned and [...]

I had the great privilege of giving an address to our medical staff at their semiannual meeting last Wednesday, and wanted to post my remarks here to share them even more broadly.
Several hundred UNC Health Care doctors and medical staff attended the meeting. It was a pleasure to meet many of them to discuss [...]