Researchers at the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care are reacting to a recent New York Times article with pointed criticism.  Principal scientists Elliott Fisher and Jonathan Skinner said they are “disappointed” in the article’s attack on the veracity of Dartmouth Atlas data, which has been widely cited and highly influential with regard to health care reform.  

The two scientists go on to point out several factual errors and misrepresentations in the article.  Among the errors: the Times claims Dartmouth data does take into account quality of care; Fisher and Skinner show that the atlas does indeed contain quality data.  The article also claims that “neither patients’ health nor differences in price are fully considered by the Dartmouth Atlas”; the scientists respond that risk adjustments are included in their studies.  As for price, they point out that because their investigations focus on actual measures of utilization, price adjustments are not necessary, though fully price-adjusted expenditure data is also available on the Dartmouth Atlas Web site, just the same. 

Rather than the Times article, which cites “critics” of Dartmouth’s work but fails to present any substantial criticism (or at least none that can hold up to scrutiny) and Skinner and Fisher describe as “superficial,” the researchers urge readers to take the time to read their initial but very thorough responses to the reporters’ questions, which the Times posted as a sidebar. 

In an article that ran in the Dartmouth campus newspaper, Fisher reiterated that the Dartmouth Atlas findings – essentially, hospitals that spend more on high-intensity health care “are less likely to deliver safe and effective care” – remain largely undisputed in the scientific community.  

“All of this research and all the findings they cite [in the Times’ article] are consistent with ours,” Fisher said. “The Times is not helping advance the public’s understanding of what’s going on.” 

Fisher went on to say that the potential remains to save “about 20 to 30 percent of health care spending” if more hospitals engage in “better performance measures, greater accountability and payment systems that reward improved performance.”

Like the scientists at the Dartmouth Atlas, IHA and Iowa’s hospitals are committed to understanding variations in health care delivery for the purpose of ensuring access to high-value health care.

 The New York Times, meanwhile, appears less interested in improving health care and more interested in creating controversy where there is none.