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Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer
Overtreated Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer Author:Shannon Brownlee A groundbreaking critique of the American health care system’s addiction to overtreatment. — Though touted as perhaps the best in the world, the American medical system is filled with hypocrisies. Our health care is staggeringly expensive, yet one in seven Americans has no health insurance. We have some of the most skilled physicians... more » in the world, yet 100,000 patients die each year from medical errors. In this searing exposé, award-winning journalist Shannon Brownlee takes readers inside the hospital to dismantle some of our most venerated myths about American medicine. Using vivid examples of real patients and physicians, The Overtreated American debunks the idea that most of medicine is based in sound science, and shows how our health care system delivers huge amounts of unnecessary care that is not only wasteful but can actually imperil the health of patients.
But despite all the bad news, The Overtreated American ultimately conveys a message of hope. Scattered around the country, there are hospitals and health care systems that have found ways to rein in waste, cut down on errors, and provide truly inspired and inspiring medicine to their patients. Shannon Brownlee’s humane, intelligent, and penetrating analysis empowers readers to avoid the perils of overtreatment, as well as pointing the way to better health care for everyone.« less