In a recent Health Affairs Blog "Restoring Equity to the Health Law Debate," Abraham Nussbaum, a psychiatrist at Denver Health, delivers an awakening perspective on a missing component of our critical conversation and public debate on health reform--EQUITY. He delves into a historical account of the Scottish physician, Archie Cochrane whose insights from the famous lecture and short book “Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services” gave way to the adoption of randomized controlled trials and elevation of evidence based medicine. Both of these concepts were arguably influential and foundational for many provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Nussbaum then turns to Cochrane’s autobiography "One Man’s Medicine" and reveals Cochrane’s regret for not including equity in his initial lecture and book. This post then juxtaposes that historical absence of equity to how this was, to some degree, ameliorated with the passage of the ACA, specifically improving the effectiveness and efficiency of health care for Coloradans; however, this is now in jeopardy again with the American Health Care Act of 2017.
As we think about the health of the people we serve here in Baltimore and throughout the world, how does EQUITY fit into this work, perspective and/or conversation? Is EQUITY alive and flourishing in our institution’s programs of education, clinical care and research?
Read the full article here: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2017/05/01/restoring-equity-to-the-health-law-debate/
-Thomas K.M. Cudjoe, MD, MPH, fellow in Geriatrics
