Who does he think he is, anyway?

Well, seems other hospitals and doctors aren't taking kindly to Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center's decision to release infection rates for its patients with permanent IV lines (zero infections in January). Hospital CEO Paul Levy writes the basic reaction is: The nerve of that guy! And he's not even a doctor!

Levy retorts that some of that might be coming from certain local hospitals that have been coasting on their reputations for too long rather than on actual success rates but that in any case, patients have a right to the information. He cites a kidney-cancer patient who responded to his initial note:

NOBODY has more right to that information than the patient in need. NOBODY.

This is REALLY personal, believe me. If we can easily get info on the best used cars (hardly a matter of life and death), we certainly ought to have free access to information on who has high and low outcomes and accident rates.

John McDonough of Health Care for All is loving it:

... Why does the rest of the hospital community respond to Paul with stoned silence? By the way, I think Paul should seek a competitive advantage here. Nothing wrong and everything right with hospitals competing on the basis of real quality performance. Go for it. No apology necessary.