Alan Friedman: To Err Is Human

Howie and Harlan are joined by Alan Friedman, chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Hospital, to talk about the organizational and cultural changes that the hospital has made to minimize medical errors and unprofessional behavior that harm patients. Howie reports on a Yale study showing a gap in excess deaths between Republicans and Democrats after the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced; Harlan discusses the continued problem of financial toxicity for patients, and a new study casting doubt on the effectiveness of “neuroprotective” diets. Links: “Excess Death Rates for Republican and Democratic Registered Voters in Florida and Ohio During the COVID-19 Pandemic” “State-Level Excess Mortality in US Adults During the Delta and Omicron Waves of COVID-19” “Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients: results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study” “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” “The Safety of Inpatient Health Care” “We’re Already Paying for Universal Health Care. Why Don’t We Have It?” “Out-of-Pocket Annual Health Expenditures and Financial Toxicity From Healthcare Costs in Patients With Heart Failure in the United States” “Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons” Learn more about the MBA for Executives program at Yale SOM. Email Howie and Harlan comments or questions.