Cost is the spectre haunting health reform. For many decades, the great flaw in the American health-care system was its unconscionable gaps in coverage. Atul Gawande americancarecost Change image and share on social
We now live in the era of the super-specialist - of clinicians who have taken the time to practice at one narrow thing until they can do it better than anyone who hasn't. Atul Gawande clinicianeralive Change image and share on social
I think we are faced in medicine with the reality that we have to be willing to talk about our failures and think hard about them, even despite the malpractice system. I mean, there are things that we can do to make that system better. Atul Gawande facefailurehard share on social
My vantage point on the world is the operating room where I see my patients. Atul Gawande operatepatientpoint Change image and share on social
The health-care sector certainly employs more people and more machines than it did. But there have been no great strides in service. In Western Europe, most primary-care practices now use electronic health records and offer after-hours care; in the United States, most don't. Atul Gawande careelectronicemploy share on social
The writing I love has something memorable in it - an image, a smell. It's the connection between the moment and the whole concept, weaving the micro together with the macro so that it has a hold on people - that's writing. Atul Gawande conceptconnectionhold share on social
Oliver Sacks remains my hero to this day. He was one of the first medical writers I read. The other was Lewis Thomas, who is no longer alive but is just heroic to me. Atul Gawande alivedayhero Change image and share on social
Our health-care morass is like the problems of global warming and the national debt - the kind of vast policy failure that is far easier to get into than to get out of. Americans say that they want leaders who will take on these problems. Atul Gawande americancaredebt share on social
Our great struggle in medicine these days is not just with ignorance and uncertainty. It's also with complexity: how much you have to make sure you have in your head and think about. There are a thousand ways things can go wrong. Atul Gawande complexitydaygreat share on social
I write because it's my way of finding cool ideas, thinking through hard problems and things I don't understand, and getting better at something. Atul Gawande coolfindhard Change image and share on social
