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Unfortunately, for at least 30 years, healthcare claims to use an "outcomes based" method of evaluating healthcare. For about 8 years, I worked on a floor that did inpatient cancer treatment and general medical research. It was appalling how the drug companies manipulated the way the data was recorded. If the study showed anything bad, they'd basically just rewrite the study parameters to ignore that.
They did several studies on herb supplements, for example. If they couldn't pinpoint the specific chemical in the herbs that made it effective, or if it could not be copied in a lab for some reason, they rewrote the study criteria to show that it was ineffective. They also consistantly ignore doseage levels in herbal preparations. When they studied red yeast rice for cholesterol, they found the microdose of statin, duplicated in the lab, then sued the herb companies fro patent infringement, a priori be d@mned. They claimed the red yeast rice had a wide variance in concentration of the statin, so it was dangerous. They neglected to mention that variation was 1/10th to 1/100th of the dose THEY are selling.
Do any of you take Prilosec? Sure, the studies showed that repeated bathing of the lower esophagus can cause cancer. They prescribe a PPI (Proton Pump Inhibiter) like Prilosec. The PPIs permanently turn off the acid producing cells in your stomach, giving you relief from heartburn. Ever notice the package says not to take it for more than two weeks? That's because the PPIs themselves, by forcing your stomach to produce more acid producing cells, itself increases the risk of stomach cancer. So, you're trying to prevent cancer with something that causes cancer.
The most egredious thing about the studies was how they'd start with thousands of patients in a nationwide study. Every time a patient had a response outside what they wanted, that patient was dropped from the study. If they start with several thousand participants, they'll have enough "Goldilocks" patients to make the figures look plausible.
Outcomes based research is just the phrase they're using to attempt to legitimize their BS. If they really depended on outcomes, healthcare would offer money-back guarantees.
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