Background
Russell, Louise Bennett was born on May 12, 1942 in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States. Daughter of Frederick Dewey and Esther (Smith) B.
( A copublication with the Milbank Memorial Fund Prevent...)
A copublication with the Milbank Memorial Fund Prevention is the best cure—or is it? As medical experts hammer home the importance of annual medical checkups and routine screening for everything from high blood pressure to cancer, Americans have come to believe that frequent screening tests are essential for saving lives. But just how effective are the tests that we have come to take for granted? In this provocative book, medical economist Louise Russell challenges the standard wisdom that more is necessarily better by examining three routinely administered tests—those designed to detect cervical cancer, prostate cancer, and high levels of cholesterol. Standard recommendations such as annual Pap smears for women and prostate tests for men over forty are in fact simply rules of thumb that ignore the complexities of individual cases and the tradeoffs between escalating costs and early detection, Russell argues. By looking beyond these recommendations to examine conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of screening tests, Russell demonstrates that medical experts' recommendations are often far simpler and more solid-looking than the evidence behind them. It is not at all clear, for example, that annual Pap smears are effective enough in reducing deaths from cervical cancer to justify the enormous additional costs involved in testing all women every year rather than every three years. Nor is there solid evidence for the value of prostate cancer screening, despite recommendations that all men over forty be tested annually. The three case studies presented here, each important in its own right, raise serious questions about how tests are evaluated, recommendations formed, and medical resources allocated. At a time when American health care policies and the escalating costs of health care are the object of renewed scrutiny, Russell's challenge to conventional wisdom is especially important. Based on a detailed analysis of the available medical research, yet written in a straightforward, jargon-free style, Educated Guesses will be required reading for all those concerned about making informed choices about health care policies and their personal health.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520083660/?tag=2022091-20
Russell, Louise Bennett was born on May 12, 1942 in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States. Daughter of Frederick Dewey and Esther (Smith) B.
Bachelor, University of Michigan, 1964; Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1971.
Economist, Social Security Administration, Washington, 1968-1971; economist, National Commision on State Workmen's Compensation Laws, Washington, 1971-1972; economist, Department Labor, Washington, 1972-1973; senior economist, National Planning Association, Washington, 1973-1975; senior fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington, 1975-1987; research professor Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, since 1987; professor economics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, since 1987. Chairman health care policy division Rutgers University, since 1988.
( A copublication with the Milbank Memorial Fund Prevent...)
( A growing body of research indicates that prevention of...)
(Book by Russell, Louise B.)
(Book by Russell, Louise B.)
(Social Studies, Economics)
Member of the United States Preventive Superior vena cava syndrome Task Force, 1984-1988. Co-chair Panel on Cost Effectiveness in Health and Medicine Department of Health and Human Services, United States Public Health Service, 1993-1996. Member technical board Milbank Fund, 1993-1995.
Member Institute Medicine of NAS (commission to study future public health 1986-1987,board on health science policy 1989-1991, commission on clinical practice guidelines 1990-1991, commission on setting priorities for practice guidelines 1994).
Married Robert Hardy Cosgriff, May 3, 1987. 1 child, Benjamin Smith Cosgriff.