With the news that Atul Gawande will lead the new Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase health care venture, we pulled together our past coverage of Gawande to understand his views on the current state, and future potential, of the U.S. health care system.
Curiosity is under attack—and without it, doctors 'lose our humanity'
Atul Gawande in a commencement address at the University of California-Los Angeles' David Geffen School of Medicine recounted treating a prisoner while he was a medical student, urging the graduates to remain curious about others' lived experiences in order to deliver on the medical principle "that all lives are of equal worth." Read the story.
Health care is 'a freaking mess' and progress is an 'uphill battle'—but here's how we can do better
Atul Gawande, in an episode of Freakonomics Radio, discussed why progress in the medical field can be an "uphill battle" and how simple solutions have the potential to improve health care delivery. Read the story.
'Heroic' medicine isn't enough
The health care system rewards "heroic" care—like the surgeon who gives a patient a new heart—while undervaluing "incremental" care, such as the long-term management of chronic conditions, to the detriment of overall health, Atul Gawande writes in The New Yorker. Read the story.
Is health care a right? Gawande argues it's time to find common ground
Speaking with people from his hometown of Athens, Ohio, Atul Gawande in The New Yorker explores the divisive emotions and politics surrounding the question of whether health care should be a right—and spotlights a possibility for common ground. Read the story.
One change you can make right now to fight the opioid crisis
As the opioid-misuse epidemic rages, it's time for surgeons to embrace modernized prescribing practices for the highly addictive drugs, Atul Gawande writes in Annals of Surgery. Read the story.
Gawande, Sommers, and Baicker: Here's how health insurance affects health
Expanding health insurance coverage is associated with improvements in health outcomes and a reduction in mortality, and is more cost-effective than some other public policies targeting mortality rates, according an analysis published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read the story.
This doctor changed Atul Gawande's mind on primary care. Will he change yours?
The Daily Briefing's Josh Zeitlin spoke with Asaf Bitton, an internist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, about what his fellow doctors get wrong about primary care, his debates with surgeon and author Atul Gawande, and more. Read the story.
The 1 question you should start asking your patients today, according to Atul Gawande
Renowned surgeon and author Dr. Atul Gawande recently hosted a conversation in Washington, D.C., following the re-release of his bestselling book on end-of-life care, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. We attended the event along with a few Advisory Board colleagues and listened to Dr. Gawande share his thoughts on topics ranging from health care reform to the opioid crisis to—of course—end-of-life care planning. Read the story.