Transparent Reporting at DHMC?

 

Drs. James Weinstein and William Weeks are facing an immense challenge in their campaign for health care efficiency and transparency, as reported by Rick Jurgens (May 22). 

Jurgens quotes their new book saying “If health care utilization, costs and outcomes were transparently reported, consumers could make informed decisions about where to obtain particular health care services.” And in an interview, Dr. Weinstein poses patient questions like, “How many heart surgeries do they do? What have the outcomes been? What’s the average cost? Length of stay? Complication rate?”

But surfing the DHMC website, I find no such information. For the cardiac department there is a list of procedures, with case volumes, but no outcomes. No costs. No length of stay. No complication rates. Other departments (non-cardiac) don’t even tabulate procedures. (There are so-called “Quality Reports” by department, but those are just summaries from patient satisfaction surveys. Where’s the beef?)

Fortunately, Dr. Weinstein is CEO at DHMC. As chief executive, he needn’t just philosophize; he has the power to act. Perhaps Dr. Weinstein should redirect his energy away from national aspiration, and toward execution of actual transparency right here at this one institution under his control.

Robin Carpenter

Lebanon

 

Don’t Go There

 

Dr. Jack Turco’s clarification regarding the condition known as gender dysphoria was a great service to readers, and to me especially (“Understanding Gender Dysphoria, May 21). At 93, I’d enjoy saying my final years have been restful. However, attacks by those ill-informed about science, gender science in particular, have invaded my contentment, thus requiring this letter.

The words in Dr. Turco’s response to those who attack gender dysphoria and other genetically different humans bear identical parallels in our political discourse. Think back on the loud, frequent, ugly attacks on the woman running for president. Readers will understand where I come from as I copy what these attacks have employed: stigmatization, marginalization and hate.

Don’t go there.

Linn Duvall Harwell

New London 

 

A Well-Known Address

 

 

This is in reference to the article about Ernest Harold Baynes and the digitization of his slide collection (May 18). Adjacent and to the east of Annie Duncan’s house in Meriden was once a large Victorian hotel called The Bird Village Inn. (The inn was purchased in the early 1930s by Kimball Union Academy and around 1938 replaced with Dexter Richards Hall.) In the early decades of the 20th century, one could write a letter or card from any place in the world addressed simply Bird Village, USA, and it would reach the addressee in Meriden.

Phil Porter

Hanover 

Don’t Buy Snake Oil

 

When I was young, a comedic character in many movies was the snake oil salesman at a state fair or circus, usually played by W. C. Fields or a similar actor.  He was a “humbug,” “con man” or other pompous personage giving forth misinformation as fact. He had the ability to confuse and obfuscate as to truth versus fact. He promised results based on non-facts and outright provable lies. He did this in such a way that people believed him and bought his “snake oil.”

 While this was a comedic device, unfortunately in reality, it was, and still is, being worked on the public continuously. You don’t believe me? How about a Rolex wrist watch as a status symbol? I have a mass-produced Japanese wrist watch that runs on solar energy and is accurate to a billionth of a second. It was not costly and gives time, date and day of the week. However it is definitely not a status symbol.  

As I see it, Mr. Trump is the embodiment of the ideal snake oil salesman. He has arrived as the presumptive leader of the GOP. Just think of the possibility presented to the American people if he gets the formal nomination. We could have a man as possible president who caters to all the fears and prejudices of the people and, if elected, would undermine what I believe is the greatest document ever written: the Constitution of the United States of America.

One can only hope that in time the party that he claims to lead will wake up and get rid of him. We don’t need a snake oil salesman as our leader. That is not part of the job description.

Herbert A. Knapp

Orford