Another piece of investigative journalism slamming military medicine recently ran in the NY Times. The same journalists who published the initial article have published a new piece titled "Smaller Military Hospitals Said to Put Patients at Risk."
THE NY TIMES POSITION
The premise implies the quality of military medicine is uniquely inferior to civilian healthcare. Let's critically evaluate this argument.
AN UNCONVINCING ARGUMENT
The Plural of Anecdote is not Data
Over half of the article is devoted to tragic stories that could have been plucked from any medical facility. Medical errors are ubiquitous and spare no hospital.
Confirmation Bias
The journalists cherry-pick metrics that confirm their premise while omitting evidence that suggests otherwise.
Lack of Control Group
They compare military facilities to "leading civilian hospitals" - is it fair to compare small military hospitals to Mayo Clinic?
Small Hospitals are NOT Unique to the Military
Between one quarter and a third of civilian hospitals are from the two smallest categories.
MISGUIDED ALLEGATIONS
Almost all allegations aimed at military medicine are easily applied to the greater American healthcare system. The military system is actually a much more robust and considerably more standardized system than elsewhere in the United States.
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