IDSA Panel–Document submission changes

Some more light reading for those late nights when nothing is on the tube and you’re wondering how IDSA got ensnared in antitrust law with its Lyme disease guidelines. Just how flawed was its guidelines development process? Why is it important to democracy that opposing viewpoints be heard before vital freedoms—like your ability to choose among treatment options—are taken away. When do medical societies have an obligation to not suppress legitimate medical controversies? And, what is the drill for the settlement process anyway?

If you have comments on the article, send them to me at johnson.lorraineb@gmail.com

The broad debate about the role of consumers in health care policy is important to the Lyme community. However, many of the things that have harmed Lyme patients, powerful unresponsive medical societies with conflicts of interest, the patients’ lack of voice in the process, and access to care limitations should concern every patient, regardless of the disease. An important article on patients and their skepticism for evidence based medicine appeared in Health Affairs this month. (“Evidence That Consumers Are Skeptical About Evidence-Based Health Care”). Ray and I responded to the article with an eletter, “Consumer Acceptance Depends on Whether Guidelines Reflect Patient Values”, which is published with the article. Links can be found after the jump.