Demanding Medical Excellence: Doctors and Accountability in the Information Age

by Michael L. Millenson

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 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

469 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2000

Reviews

[Rajesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more thoughtful review of why doctors are terrible technicians (my words). They don't benchmark or try to do better through technology. So they just charge a lot of money and try to prevent measurement of their profession.

I needed to read this to be able to comment intelligently on health care reform.

[Casey Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable for the average person. Provides an enlightening - and terrifying - look at the field of medicine and its reluctance to broadly adopt standards of quality measurement and process improvement. May be a bit outdated (published in 2000), but well worth the time.