Monthly Archives: July 2009

FRONTIERS IN BASEBALL STATISTICS.

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Philip

FRONTIERS IN BASEBALL STATISTICS. Yesterday, I contrasted the dramatic improvements in the collection of baseball data and in the number and sophistication of the statistical analyses of that data with what seems to be much less study of data on … Continue reading →

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LEARNING ABOUT CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMENS.

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Philip

LEARNING ABOUT CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMENS. When Mary Jane was being treated for breast cancer fifteen years ago, I learned that there were different drugs and different combinations of drugs to choose among and also that for each combination of drugs there … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Economics, Science | 1 Comment

FINDING OUT BEST PRACTICE.

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Philip

FINDING OUT BEST PRACTICE. Atul Gutwande tells a story in his article that illustrates what seems to me another gap in medical research. Gutwande tells of how when his son was an infant he suffered a “tiny subdural hematoma—a small … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Science | 1 Comment

IMITATING THE MAYO CLINIC.

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Philip

IMITATING THE MAYO CLINIC. One of the problems that Gutwande finds in McAllen is harmful financial incentives, but those incentives are the same in El Paso and in other cities with lower medical costs. There also seems to be a … Continue reading →

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WHY IS MEDICAL CARE MORE EXPENSIVE IN SOME CITIES (COMMENT)?

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Philip

WHY IS MEDICAL CARE MORE EXPENSIVE IN SOME CITIES (COMMENT)? Dick Weisfelder commented here that “The differential between the average annual medicare expenditure in Miami of $16,000 and less than $5,000 in Salem, Oregon does not reflect better care in … Continue reading →

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IS AN ADDITIONAL YEAR OF LIFE WORTH $120,000—OR $45,000?

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Philip

IS AN ADDITIONAL YEAR OF LIFE WORTH $120,000—OR $45,000? Putting a value on an additional year of life is bound to be controversial and is generally avoided in public discussion in the United States. Professor Gary Becker takes on the … Continue reading →

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WHY ISN’T HEALTH CARE INFLATION MEASURED?

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Philip

WHY ISN’T HEALTH CARE INFLATION MEASURED? Using a figure for increased health care costs without considering the increased life spans they are purchasing is obviously wrong. But the number— although irrelevant —is exact. (” 2.1 percentage points faster than overall … Continue reading →

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IS THERE INFLATION IN THE PRICE OF HEALTH CARE?

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Philip

IS THERE INFLATION IN THE PRICE OF HEALTH CARE? I have linked several times to articles by Robert Samuelson and I have a high regard for him. I have to disagree with some of this article and the implications of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 5 Comments

MARILYN MONROE AND JOE DIMAGGIO.

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Philip

MARILYN MONROE AND JOE DIMAGGIO. Leonard Mlodinow begins his article with a story about Joe DiMaggio, just back from World War II, going to a Yankee game with his four-year old son, Joe, Jr. The fans were soon chanting DiMaggio’s … Continue reading →

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LUCK AND THE WORLD SERIES.

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Philip

LUCK AND THE WORLD SERIES. In a short series, anything can happen. So runs a lot of thinking about baseball. Leonard Mlodinow’s article has a very helpful analysis of the role of luck in the World Series. Assume that in … Continue reading →

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