Thread by @MichaelWellerMD

So a lot of people of dunked on this terrible op ed from Dr. Goldfarb in the @WSJ, so I’m not breaking any new ground. Most have focused on the false dichotomy of science versus policy/advocacy. But it’s really more than that. 1/11 wsj.com/articles/take-…

Dr. Goldfarb’s argument that progressive politics is preventing good science has it precisely backwards. There is undue political influence in the practice of medicine today, but it’s not from the left. nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…. 2/11

It’s not the left that wrote legislation that barred doctors from asking their patients about guns in the home or even discussing gun safety, despite the evidence supporting an impact on health outcomes. 3/11

It’s not the left forcing doctors to lie to their patients, like the bills requiring doctors to counsel their patients falsely that their abortion can be reversed, or mandating doctors tell their patients about false links between abortion and breast cancer. 4/11

I think Dr. Goldfarb should re-think who has “stepped out of its lane.” In the meantime, let’s celebrate *all* the work that’s being done to help us take better care of patients. That includes so many who are doing incredible basic science work to move our fields forward. 5/11

But we also owe a debt to @neel_shah and @propublica for helping us understand the crisis that is maternal mortality in this country. If you haven’t read the incredible Lost Mothers series propublica.org/series/lost-mo…, do it, seriously. 6/11

Thank you to @DrWinkfield and @fumikochino for their advocacy and tireless reminders about the disparities in health cancer care and the #financialtoxicity so many of our patients face. 7/11

Thank you @aakonc and @SAmarnathMD for their awesome humanities in medicine course for the oncology residents and fellows at @CleClinicMD, because really, we are humans trying our best to understand and help each other. 8/11

Thank you @boissyad and @GilliganTimothy for their work training us in empathy, compassion, and communication, areas which I’m convinced are shockingly under emphasized in #meded, and physicians are too often overconfident in their abilities. 9/11

Thank you to @d_golden and @RTendulkarMD leading the way in both resident and patient education, I’m excited for what’s to come. 10/11

There are so many more, but I have EPIC notes to finish, so I’m going to end here. To my 10s of followers, use this thread to signal boost anyone you know doing great work that makes us better doctors and better people. We could all use some positivity and #gratitude. 11/11

I'm reminded today of the critical role good journalism can play in the health of our patients. Thank you to @jayhancock1 and @KHNews whose reporting on medical debt resulted in many patients getting relief
khn.org/news/uva-will-… 12/11

Thank you to @sarahkliff whose work on ER billing practices has resulted in over $100,000 in bills. vox.com/2018/2/27/1693… 13/11

Thank you to @sangerkatz @ReedAbelson for tracing the source of the dark money opposition to legislation to protect our patients from surprise billing nytimes.com/2019/09/13/ups… 14/11

Thank to you @jameshamblin at @TheAtlantic and @afrakt @aaronecarroll at @UpshotNYT for years of great writing. If you haven't checked out anything from @HCTriage, it's worth a look youtube.com/user/thehealth… 15/11

A robust free press is *crucial* in holding us accountable for what we do, and we should work together to fight for our patients. And don't forget about local journalism! Thank you @marlenetaylor48 @LydiaCoutre @GChristCLE 16/11