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Consumer reports 1
the Business of Healing Hearts
When to say “Whoa!” to Your Doctor
the High Cost of Cheap Chicken
Deadly pain pills
It’s time to Get mad About the outrageous Cost of Health Care
A Beautiful Death
How not to Get sick(er) in the Hospital
Lab tests: motivating machines
Lab tests: You, By the numbers
Consumer reports 32 Consumer reports
June 2015
Dear Friend,
Almost 80 years ago a group of American consumer activists (some might even call them “radicals”) recognized the growing power of the modern advertising industry and decided to fight back. they knew that all those ads would be good for big business, but how would that affect consumers? In some ways, consumers might benefit, as branding, mass marketing, and some performance information might – in theory anyway – reward the best products and services.
But the trend toward sophisticated mass-market advertising also allowed perception to matter more than reality, for appearance to trump outcomes, for “spin” to matter more than data. that group of activists found that trend troubling, and so Consumer reports was born: a way to provide consumers with meaningful, objective information, so they could make informed choices about the products they buy.
Consumer health issues have always been a focus of Consumer reports. the first edition of the magazine in January 1936 reviewed Alka seltzer, whose claims, the magazine’s editors wrote, “vanished like the gas bubbles in the air.”
In other focus areas, Consumer reports became known for its savvy engineers who tested products in ingenious ways, leading to outcome results that provided meaningful information about how well products really performed. Consumer-oriented journalists provided readers with information that served as antidotes to sales slogans and strategies that gave shoppers a chance in showrooms. the magazine’s designers developed graphics – think of that little red circle – that made it possible for consumers to quickly compare products. most of all, consumers could be certain that Consumer reports was an independent voice, not beholden to industry.
In this special compilation of highlights of our recent work in health at Consumer reports, you will find three examples of the work from our test labs: In You, By the Numbers (may 2015), we rate devices (blood pressure monitors and blood glucose meters); in Motivating Machines (February 2015), we rate fitness equipment (treadmills and ellipticals). And in The High Cost of Cheap Chicken (February 2014), we found that 97% of the breasts we tested harbored bacteria that could make you sick.
Advertising in the us healthcare industry is particularly disruptive when claims are made about performance and outcomes, often with little basis in fact or science. It can even mislead healthcare providers themselves. Consumer reports has tried to counter the effect of such advertising by providing independent, evidence-based comparisons to consumers.
Tara Montgomery Senior Director, Consumer Reports Health
For example, in 2004 Consumer reports launched its Best Buy Drugs initiative, which relies on high-quality, comparative effectiveness systematic reviews to provide independent assessments of drugs to consumers. Consumers have responded positively to this content. they want an alternative to drugs ads. In Deadly Pain Pills (september 2014) our Best Buy Drugs team investigates the dangers of opioids and other pain medications.
Consumer reports has also worked to help consumers make informed choices about hospitals. Consumer activists have helped pass legislation in at least 27 states, requiring public reporting of healthcare-acquired infections. this effort, in turn, led to a 2010 effort by Consumer reports to rate more than 1,200 hospitals on central line infections, using data from state databases and the Leapfrog Group. As more infection data became available – thanks in part to infrastructure funded by the Affordable Care Act as well as the utilization of a national database, the Center for Disease Control, and prevention’s national Healthcare safety network (nHsn) – Consumer reports expanded its ratings to include other public data on hospital-acquired infections (e.g. surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections), and thousands more hospitals.
Hospitals and doctors had not been transparent about healthcare acquired infections. Consumers now know they are preventable, not inevitable. In How (Not) to Get Sicker in the Hospital (February 2015), we look into patients’ perceptions of their care in the hospital and the safety of hospitals – two of the categories scored in our ratings.
Consumer reports has partnered with other organizations to make outcomes data available to consumers. In 2010, about 200 heart surgery groups voluntarily made coronary bypass surgery performance outcomes public on Consumer reports’ and the society of thoracic surgeons’ website. now about 400 groups that perform bypass and aortic valve surgery do so. But there is more work to be done. more than 600 heart surgery groups still do not make their data publically available,
and while the federal government has made more healthcare data publically available, many large databases crucial to consumers remain hidden, even when they have data about cancer, heart disease, and maternity outcomes. In The Business of Healing Hearts (september 2011), we introduce our heart surgery ratings and rate the heart tests you need and those you don’t.
Consumer reports has also worked with physicians and other healthcare providers to identify what works and what doesn’t. In 2012, Consumer reports partnered with the American Board of Internal medicine (ABIm) Foundation on the Choosing Wisely campaign, which asks healthcare providers themselves to identify overused tests and treatments based on the best outcomes evidence available. Virtually all physician associations are now part of Choosing Wisely, as are associations for nurses, physical therapists, and dentists; hundreds of millions of consumers have seen this content. However, Choosing Wisely has not stopped drug companies, hospitals, and doctors from advertising the same overused services. In When to Say Whoa! to Doctors (June 2012), we feature seven procedures to question or avoid.
We have also been active in helping consumers manage health care costs and navigate the changing insurance marketplace. In It’s Time to Get Mad About the Outrageous Cost of Health Care (november 2014), we explore why costs are so high, how it affects your wallet, and what you can do about it—plus nCQA’s rankings of health plans.
Finally, A Beautiful Death (December 2014), a finalist for a 2015 national magazine Award in multimedia, which honors the best in digital storytelling, chronicles the final 38 days of paul scheier, a retired dentist from orchard park, n.Y., after he chooses to forgo curative treatment for lung cancer. It also investigates the forces that have conspired to make death so complicated and often painful in the u.s., and includes findings from a Consumer reports survey of 2,015 Americans, describing their wishes about the end of their own lives.
to learn more about our work in health, contact us at [email protected].
Cordially,
Tara Montgomery and the Consumer Reports Health Team
For nearly 80 years, Consumer Reports has been a way to provide consumers with meaningful, objective information, so they can make informed choices about the products and services they buy.
A version of this letter was first published in BMJ Outcomes Inaugural Collection, April 2015
Consumer reports 54 Consumer reports
Table of Contents
the Business of Healing HeartsCardiac care: Profit over science ....................................................................................... 2originally published september 2011
When to say “Whoa!” to Your DoctorCommon tests and treatments you probably don’t need ..................................................... 9originally published may 2012
the High Cost of Cheap ChickenProtect yourself from bacteria that can make you sick ...................................................... 1 1originally published February 2014
Deadly pain pillsHow to Avoid being a statistic ....................................................................................... 18originally published september 2014
It’s time to Get mad About the outrageous Cost of Health CareInsurance Rankings .......................................................................................................22originally published november 2014
A Beautiful DeathA Guide to the End of Life ............................................................................................... 31originally published December 2014
How not to Get sick(er) in the HospitalHospital Safety ............................................................................................................ 36originally published February 2015
Lab tests: motivating machinesThe Latest Treadmills and Ellipticals .............................................................................. 42originally published February 2015
Lab tests: You, By the numbers Blood Pressure and Blood Glucose Monitors .................................................................... 45originally published may 2015
originally published by Consumer reports between
september 2011 and may 2015
Consumer reports 32 Consumer reports
SPECIAL REPORT: THE BUSINESS OF HEALING HEARTS
Consumer reports 54 Consumer reports
SPECIAL REPORT: THE BUSINESS OF HEALING HEARTS
Consumer reports 76 Consumer reports
SPECIAL REPORT: THE BUSINESS OF HEALING HEARTSSPECIAL REPORT: THE BUSINESS OF HEALING HEARTS
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SPECIAL REPORT: THE BUSINESS OF HEALING HEARTS
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Consumer reports 1312 Consumer reports
SPECIAL REPORT: THE BUSINESS OF HEALING HEARTSCR INVESTIGATES: THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP CHICKEN CR INVESTIGATES: THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP CHICKEN
Consumer reports 1514 Consumer reports
CR INVESTIGATES: THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP CHICKEN CR INVESTIGATES: THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP CHICKEN
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CR INVESTIGATES: THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP CHICKENCR INVESTIGATES: THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP CHICKEN
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Consumer ReportsMarta Tellado, President, Consumer ReportsTara Montgomery, Senior Director, Consumer Reports HealthJohn Santa, MD, Medical Director (retired)Orly Avitzur, MD, Medical AdvisorMarvin Lipman, MD, Medical Advisor
Health Ratings CenterDoris Peter, Director, Health Ratings CenterKristina Mycek, StatisticianLisa Gill, Deputy Content Editor, Best Buy DrugsSteve Mitchell, Associate Editor, Best Buy DrugsTeresa Carr, Associate Editor, Best Buy DrugsGinger Skinner, Associate Editor, Best Buy DrugsKathleen Person, Project ManagerMathilde LaFarge, Outreach Best Buy DrugsLisa Luca, Web Editorial Associate
Health ImpactDominic Lorusso, Director, Health PartnershipsDavid Ansley, Senior Analyst, Health Product DevelopmentBeccah Rothschild, Senior Outreach Leader, Health Partner DevelopmentLane Rasberry, Wikipedian-in-ResidenceClaudia Citarella, Senior Administrative Assistant
Health and Food Content DevelopmentEllen Kunes, Health and Food Content Development Team Leader Joel Keehn, Deputy Content Editor, Health and Food
About this reportThis report, 9 Great Health Articles Worth Reading Again, is published by Consumer Reports, the nation’s expert, independent, and nonprofit consumer organization. It is part of a health communication program created by Consumer Reports, based on articles that originally appeared in Consumer Reports magazine or other Consumer Reports publications.
Consumer Reports HealthFor more than 75 years, Consumer Reports has been working for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and empowering consumers to protect themselves. Fighting for a better health marketplace has been a significant part of that work. To maintain its independence and remain free of any conflicts of interest, Consumer Reports accepts no ads, free samples, or corporate contributions. Its income comes from the sale of its pub¬lications and from services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants.
As consumers become increasingly involved in their own health decisions, they need unbiased, accurate, evidence-based information to compare their options and to make appropriate choices for themselves and their families. Our trusted research, testing, and reporting on health products and services appears regularly in Consumer Reports magazine, ConsumerReports.org, Consumer Reports on Health newsletter, and our other media products. The editors at Consumer Reports have created this series of Reports to bring together our expert research and analysis, findings on consumer experiences based on our own national surveys, and independent Ratings to guide you through your options and to help you make better health decisions.
For more information about Consumer Reports Health, including our team and methodology, go to www.consumerhealthchoices.org. There you will find more advice on a broad range of health topics, from how to choose an over-the-counter pain reliever to selecting a health insurer. Subscribers can also access exclusive Ratings of prescription drugs, medical treatments, hospitals, heart surgeons, health insurance plans, and healthy-living products and services.
Important informationThis report should not be viewed as a substitute for a consultation with a medical or health professional. The information is meant to enhance communication with your doctor, not replace it. Use of this report is also at your own risk. Consumer Reports cannot be liable for any loss, injury, or other damage related to your use of this report. You should not make any changes in your medicines without first consulting a physician. You should always consult a physician or other professional for treatment and advice.
Errors and omissionsWe followed a rigorous editorial process to ensure that the information in this report and on the ConsumerReports.org website is accurate and describes generally accepted clinical practices. If we find, or are alerted to, an error, we will correct it as quickly as possible. However, Consumer Reports and its authors, editors, publishers, licensors, and any suppliers cannot be responsible for medical errors or omissions, or any consequences from the use of the information on this site.
Copyright noticesThis Report is published by Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Ave., Yonkers, NY 10703-1057.
Consumer Reports is a federally registered trademark in the U.S. Patent Office. Contents of this publication copyright © 2015 by Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. All rights reserved under international and Pan-American copyright conventions.
Consumer Reports®, Consumer Reports Health™, Consumers Union®, and are trademarks of Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
Terms of useThe report is intended solely for personal, noncommercial use and may not be used in advertising or promotion, or for any other commercial purpose. Use of this report is subject to our User Agreement available at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/customer-service/user-agreement/index.htm. Individuals, employers, and others may not modify or create derivate works from the text of the reports, however, or remove any copyright or trademark notices. All quotes from the report should cite the following source: 9 Great Health Articles Worth Reading Again.
For individualsIndividuals receiving copies of this report as part of the Consumer Reports consumer health communication program are free to download, copy, and distribute the reports for individual and family use only.
For other purposesReproduction of information from this Report in whole or in part is forbidden without prior written permission (and is never permitted for advertising purposes).
Any organization interested in broader distribution of this Report as part of a communications program to educate consumers (or for any other purpose) can contact Dominic Lorusso, Director, Health Partnerships at [email protected].
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About Consumer Reports’ No Commercial Use policyAt Consumer Reports, we believe that objective, impartial testing, reviews and Ratings are critically important for consumers. That is why we have a strict “No Commercial Use Policy” preventing the use of our name and information for any promotional or advertising purposes. The policy helps ensure we avoid even the appearance of endorsing a particular product or service for financial gain. The policy also guarantees that consumers have access to the full context of our information and are not hearing about our findings through the language of salesmanship.
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