The Golden Age of Medical Science and the Dark Age of Healthcare Delivery : Reflections on the Practice and Art of Medicine

Described as one of the foremost medical editorialists of our time, Sylvan Wcinberg, MD has authored this collection of highly acclaimed essays about the current state of modern American healthcare -- a paradoxical combination of the best and the worst -- hence the title, The Golden Age of Medical Science and the Dark Age of Healthcare Delivery. The last decades of the 20th century have seen spectacular progress in the science of medicine. In the field of cardiology, heart attacks that meant certain death only a short time ago can now be treated, enabling people to live active lives for many years. New discoveries in molecular biology and genetics will soon allow us to diagnose and treat patients in ways that only yesterday were the stuff of science fiction. However, paralleling these brilliant advances, there has been an equally dramatic deterioration in the delivery of healthcare to millions of Americans, caused in large part by the advent of the managed care health insurance industry.In an effort to control rising healthcare costs, the managed care-insurance complex has imposed harsh measures on hospitals, doctors, patients and university medical centers. The results have had a depressing and chilling effect on every aspect of American healthcare. Doctor's autonomy in making medical decisions has been abrogated. Doctor-patient relationships have been shattered. Many patients have lost access to specialists and to the doctors of their choice. Nursing and ancillary staffs and the length of hospital stays have been reduced, often to the detriment of patient care. Relationships between doctors and hospitals have become adversarial.These are the highly charged issues that SylvanWeinberg addresses in this important new addition to the medical literature and to the public dialogue. With his unique ability to cut to the core and frame critical questions, Dr. Weinberg-blends discussions of contemporary medical progress with incisive commentaries on the philosophic, political and socioeconomic forces that have changed not only medical practice, education and research but how every person in this country receives medical care.This new book will be important reading for doctors, patients, medical educators, hospital administrators, health insurance executives and everyone else who is concerned with bringing medical science and patient care into balance in the 21st century.