David Jacobs, M.D. (11/24, Letters) writes that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which made the recent recommendations on breast cancer screening, was a “panel of bean counters.” Nothing could be further from the truth. They are physicians and epidemiologists whose recommendations are based on the best evidence available.
That the “panel did not include radiologists or oncologists” (specialties that indeed might have a financial stake in the recommendations) is irrelevant, as their job was to evaluate the data. Their recommendations are made for doctors and other clinicians to inform their discussions with their patients, and it is incredibly valuable to have an unbiased independent panel that will look at all, not selected, studies.
Dr. Jacobs may remember that the 2002 recommendations, which lowered the age for beginning screening from 50 to 40, were very controversial at the time. Now there is more research data to inform the recommendations.
Joshua Freeman, M.D.
Kansas City, Kan.
This should be of no surprise, we have mainly lawyers making decisions on every subject under the sun. Being a lawyer makes you a SME on every area in the universe.
I mean after all, we know Obama has NEVER owned a business, he continues to say that health care costs are the number one ledger item that is hurting enterprise. Those of us that actually own businesses know different. Maybe rather than going to your physician when in need of health care, we should be going to an attorney.
Posted by: NoMoreMrNiceGuy | November 29, 2009 at 10:59 AM