The Power of Words

A recent cover of Time Magazine featured an article called "Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills are Killing Us" by Steven Brill. It is an absolute must-read. The whole article probably took me over an hour to get through, as there are so many great quotes and stories. The title explains everything. Intertwined amongst many depressing anecdotes are a few moments where one can find inspiration. As I launch into writing about the "softer side" of medicine, it is good to know that there still is power in words. Below is a quote from the article that demonstrates how influential physicians can be in the lay press if they push the right buttons.

Bach, the Sloan-Kettering doctor and policy wonk, has become so frustrated with the rising cost of the [prescription] drugs he uses that he and some colleagues recently took matters into their own hands. They reported in an October op-ed in the New York Times that they had decided on their own that they were no longer going to dispense a colorectal-cancer drug called Zaltrap, which cost an average of $11,063 per month for treatment. All the research shows, they wrote, that a drug called Avastin, which costs $5,000 a month, is just as effective. They were taking this stand, they added, because “the typical new cancer drug coming on the market a decade ago cost about $4,500 per month (in 2012 dollars); since 2010, the median price has been around $10,000. Two of the new cancer drugs cost more than $35,000 each per month of treatment. The burden of this cost is borne, increasingly, by patients themselves — and the effects can be devastating. 

The CEO of Sanofi, the company that makes Zaltrap, initially dismissed the article by Bach and his Sloan-Kettering colleagues, saying they had taken the price of the drug out of context because of variations in the required dosage. But four weeks later, Sanofi cut its price in half.

Emphasis added for effect. It can be hard to quantity the amount of change words can make. Change usually cannot be measured (unlike this case!). I recently listened to a speaker here who believes that 95% of medical research is total crap. Either the methodology is poor or the authors published just for the sake of publishing (longer CV, anyone?). The key is to be a part of the 5%. Write or research something that will make a difference. Maybe it will change the way physicians practice evidence-based medicine; maybe it will improve patient outcomes; or maybe it will change the culture of medicine entirely.

I hope to be a part of that change.

If you get a chance, spend some time on this article. Whether you are a patient or a provider, everyone should understand our health care system just a bit better, no matter how messed up it is.