Rev. Martin Luther King’s Position on Family Planning.

In response to this week’s story on contraceptive use and the positions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a subscriber commented, “To write anti-Catholic bigotry like this, do you still have to formally join the Ku Klux Klan, or do you just get an automatic honorary membership once the column is published?” You can […]

Is It Time To Close The Bedroom Door On Catholic Bishops?

Mike Magee If you are interested in the intersection of religion and medical science, March 26, 2014, is a fascinating day indeed. Today, the Supreme Court Justices (including six Catholics, three Jews and no Protestants or Muslims) are considering a case brought by two business corporations. They state that they are running their businesses based […]

Health Manpower Planning In “A Zero Marginal Cost” Economy.

Mike Magee This week an economist with rose colored glasses suggested that there were two reasons for extreme optimism toward the United States economy, even as Putin goes out on an economic limb to assume the liability of his old Soviet partners. The first positive is our well publicized movement toward energy independence, with the […]

The Day I Took My Doctor Dad Gambling.

My Dad and I Gambling (1995) Mike Magee Over the years, I’ve pretty much seen all sides of health care – doctors, nurses, managers, their families, their patients; unborn, born, young, not so young, old, really old; dying at birth, dying from trauma, dying from burns, dying from infection, dying from chronic disease, dying from […]

What Does “Patient-Centered” Really Mean?

MICHAEL MILLENSON Health Commentary contributor, Michael Millenson, recently published an important paper in the Journal of General Internal Medicine titled “New Roles and Rules for Patient-Centered Care”. It provides abundant food for thought, and it deserves a careful reading. Here are a few excerpts: THE GOAL: “Certainly, ‘patient-centered care’ was not the goal originally pursued […]