A range of studies highlight health care shortcomings

The New York Times reports that a $20 million government-supported study regarding an operation to prevent strokes was cut short when it found the surgery was not helping patients. Also, a Commonwealth Fund study concluded that the U.S. ranks near the bottom when compared to other countries on how it cares for the sickest patients. Lastly, the Health and Human Services inspector general finds a quarter of hospitalized Medicare patients received improper treatment.

The New York Times: Study Debunks Operation To Prevent Strokes
An operation that doctors hoped would prevent strokes in people with poor circulation to the brain does not work, researchers are reporting. A $20 million study, paid for by the government, was cut short when it became apparent that the surgery was not helping patients who had complete blockages in one of their two carotid arteries, which run up either side of the neck and feed 80 percent of the brain (Grady, 11/8).

Politico Pro: Study: U.S. Lags In Key Care Measures
The United States ranks near the bottom of many measures in caring for the sickest patients compared to other nations, according to a study of 11 economically advanced countries released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund. Commonwealth's findings, published on the Health Affairs website, are based on a survey of patients who were seriously ill or had chronic conditions in seven European countries plus the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Forty-two percent of Americans surveyed reported gaps in their care over the past two years, which can cause them to get sicker unnecessarily (Feder, 11/9).

iWatch News: Report Says A Quarter Of Hospitalized Medicare Patients Got Improper Treatment
Surgeries performed on the wrong body part, instances of sexual assault and incorrect blood transfusions-;these are just a sampling of the adverse events that more than a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries experienced while they were in treatment at hospitals, according to a month-long survey conducted as part of a recent Department of Health and Human Services inspector general's report (Duszak, 11/8).