Say it with me: clinical decision support

I just read one of the worst articles I’ve ever seen about the quality of American healthcare, and it illustrates just how badly some reporters who don’t regularly cover healthcare can misunderstand this sector that accounts for more than one-sixth of the U.S. economy.

I give you this Motley Fool story entitled, “The 5 Most Misdiagnosed Diseases,” written by Sean Williams. (His profile says he has experience investing in healthcare. Investing in companies is one thing. Figuring out how to fix a broken industry is another. And really, from a financial standpoint, plenty of people are getting rich off of others’ suffering.)

The story curiously discusses a 2009 study in the Internet Journal of Family Practice that found the five most misdiagnosed diseases, based on autopsy and malpractice data. I suppose Motley Fool might decide to run something that’s four years old in order to discuss current investment opportunities. This is where the story veers off the rails.

According to the article: “The benefit of this data is twofold: it exposes problem areas in diagnosing certain diseases, which should help improve attention to detail from both physicians and patients exhibiting those symptoms, and it highlights the potential for more accurate diagnostic equipment. As investors, it also gives us definable opportunities to take advantage of instances where certain medicines or diagnostics may greatly increase in usage to improve patients’ quality of life.”

Wrong.

The problem isn’t the accuracy of diagnostic equipment and the solution isn’t more expensive testing and treatment. The problem is accessing and processing data that physicians should already have but perhaps do not. The answer to this problem is an accurate, current and complete record with an accurate, current and complete patient history, run not through the physician’s brain on the spot but through a clinical decision support engine that matches patient-specific facts with known medical evidence.

Say it with me: clinical decision support.