Bigotry Against the Obese by Leaders of Massachusetts General Hospital and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts?

I am amplifying a post by Roy Poses entitled "<a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-pretend-advertising-executive-and.html">Why Pretend An Advertising Executive and Chamber of Commerce Leader Are Public Health Experts?</a>".<br /><br />In that post, Dr. Poses noted a lack of relevant professional credentials in executives making profoundly misinformed and indeed cruel statements about the obese:<br /><br /><blockquote>Obesity as a public health problem has been the subject of considerable discussion. So that luminaries from the prestigious Partners Healthcare system and Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield would weigh in on the issue at a public meeting should surprise no one. But see this <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/view.bg?articleid=1247334&srvc=rss">report</a> by the Boston Herald:<br /><br /><blockquote>When asked about rising health-care costs, Jack Connors - chairman of the Partners chain, which includes Mass. General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals - said yesterday, 'Taking care of yourself starts at home.'<br /><br />'What happened to individual responsibility?' Connors said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Westin Boston Waterfront. <em>'Why is <strong>obesity</strong> such an epidemic (when) we all know that a big part of being healthy is exercising and eating the right food?</em>'<br /><br />Blue Cross Blue Shield Chairman Paul Guzzi <em>echoed Connors’ attitude</em> yesterday.<br /><br />'What is the responsibility of the individual?' said Guzzi, who as the chamber’s chief executive hosted Senate President Therese Murray’s speech on health care yesterday, despite his dual role as Blue Cross chairman.</blockquote><br /></blockquote>Dr. Poses then went on to point out the lack of these executives' appropriate credentials to be making such statements.<br /><br />In a Dec. 2009 post I'd addressed related issues:<br /><blockquote><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-we-have-federal-antidiscrimiation.html">Diversity Nightmare And Federal Antidiscrimination Laws: Cleveland Clinic CEO Delos M. Cosgrove Would Proudly Discriminate Against Fat People</a><br /><br /><div class="post-header"> </div> The following stunning quote appeared in the Nov. 27, 2009 Newsweek article "<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/224585">The Hospital That Could Cure Health Care</a>" about the Cleveland Clinic:<br /><br /><blockquote>[Cleveland Clinic president and CEO Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove, a former cardiac surgeon] has even taken on the most intractable driver of American health-care costs: Americans. Having already banned the hiring of smokers (a dictate enforced by urine tests for nicotine), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cosgrove declared this year that if it weren't illegal under federal law, he would refuse to hire fat people as well.</span> The resulting outcry led him to apologize for "hurtful" comments. But he has not backed down from his belief that obesity is a failure of willpower, which can be attacked by the same weapons used to combat smoking: public education, economic incentives, and sheer exhortation.</blockquote><br />My thoughts come from the perspective of a former fitness-for-duty evaluator and drug testing officer (Medical Review Officer) for the regional transit authority in a very large city, and a hiring manager in the hospital and pharmaceutical sectors. I find a profoundly discriminatory statement that a hospital CEO would "refuse to hire fat people" if he could get away with it, and that he refuses to hire smokers and forces people (presumably candidates) to take a urine nicotine test, totalitarian and highly abhorrent.<br /></blockquote><br />The attitudes of these executives show a near-complete ignorance of this disease and its causes and treatment.<br /><br />The attitudes also seem to show simple bigotry.<br /><br />In Connors' case, his statements also show <span style="font-weight: bold;">ignorance of his own hospital, Mass General.</span><br /><br />From the website of the <a href="http://www.weightcenter.org/">MGH Weight Center</a>, realistic and compassionate attitudes about obesity:<br /><br /><blockquote>Obesity, or excess body fat, is a serious medical problem now affecting one-third of all American adults and 20% of American children and adolescents. Even mild obesity increases a person's risk of having diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disorders, liver disease, arthritis, certain cancers, and other medical conditions. Overweight people have tried hundreds of ways to lose weight, from expensive commercial programs and risky drugs to unusual diets and exercise regimens.<br /><blockquote><strong><span style="color:teal;">"Recent discoveries about the genetic and physiological causes of obesity, along with the rapid development of pharmacological opportunities, have generated hope and excitement among patients and their families, their physicians and the scientific community. Massachusetts General Hospital has assembled the resources and outstanding professionals so that we can provide state-of-the-art treatment and work to find a cure for this challenging medical problem." </span></strong><span style="font-size:85%;"> <div align="center"><em><br />Lee M. Kaplan, MD, PhD Director</em></div> </span></blockquote> Overweight and obesity, like many other chronic medical problems, require specialized treatment. We believe that weight disorders must be treated by compassionate and knowledgeable professionals who take advantage of the latest scientific developments and tailor treatment to each patient's individual needs.</blockquote><br />In that regard, I wrote Dr. Kaplan an email:<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ></span><blockquote style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 7:52 AM<br />To: kaplan@helix.mgh.harvard.edu<br />Cc: Miriam@cswd.org; Lynn@cswd.org; billfabrey@amplestuff.com </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><style title="owaParaStyle">P { MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px } BODY { SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #cecfce; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #3f52b8; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #fffbff; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #fafafa; SCROLLBAR-BASE-COLOR: #f7f7f7 } </style><div dir="ltr"><div id="divSubj" onfocus="onClkSubj()" tabindex="0"><pre><span style="font-size:100%;">Re: Bay State hospital and insurance heavies blames<br />fat-slob consumers for heath problems</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></pre></div></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">Dear Dr. Kaplan,<br /><br />I am a physician and advocate for the best healthcare, in my case through excellence in health IT. However, I am also an advocate for another cause - antidiscrimination against the obese.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">As my colleague Roy Poses of Brown wrote at the blog of the Foundation for Integrity and Responsibility in Medicine, <strong>Heathcare Renewal</strong>:<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><a href="http://www.blogger.com/redir.aspx?C=662852f86e3b407cbb5ec8434288ecf2&URL=http%3a%2f%2fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2f2010%2f05%2fwhy-pretend-advertising-executive-and.html" target="_blank"></a> </span></span></div> <blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><a href="http://www.blogger.com/redir.aspx?C=662852f86e3b407cbb5ec8434288ecf2&URL=http%3a%2f%2fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2f2010%2f05%2fwhy-pretend-advertising-executive-and.html" target="_blank">Why Pretend An Advertising Executive and Chamber of Commerce Leader Are Public Health Experts?</a><br /><br /></span></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Obesity as a public health problem has been the subject of considerable discussion. So that luminaries from the prestigious Partners Healthcare system and Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield would weigh in on the issue at a public meeting should surprise no one. But see this </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/redir.aspx?C=662852f86e3b407cbb5ec8434288ecf2&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bostonherald.com%2fbusiness%2fhealthcare%2fview.bg%3farticleid%3d1247334%26srvc%3drss" target="_blank"><span style="">report</span></a><span style=""> by the Boston Herald:<br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""></span> </span><blockquote dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">When asked about rising health-care costs, Jack Connors - chairman of the Partners chain, which includes Mass. General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals - said yesterday, 'Taking care of yourself starts at home.'<br /><br />'What happened to individual responsibility?' Connors said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Westin Boston Waterfront. <em>'Why is <strong>obesity</strong> such an epidemic (when) we all know that a big part of being healthy is exercising and eating the right food?</em>'<br /><br />Blue Cross Blue Shield Chairman Paul Guzzi <em>echoed Connors’ attitude</em> yesterday.<br /><br />'What is the responsibility of the individual?' said Guzzi, who as the chamber’s chief executive hosted Senate President Therese Murray’s speech on health care yesterday, despite his dual role as Blue Cross chairman.</span></blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />It seems Connors and Guzzi are calling obese people irresponsible, in effect, <strong>lazy slobs. </strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Roy also noted that both your Chairman Connors and Guzzi lack healthcare credentials and therefore any understanding of the causes and challenges of treating obesity.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">I had addressed this issue in a Healthcare Renewal post of my own, in my Dec. 2009 post "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/redir.aspx?C=662852f86e3b407cbb5ec8434288ecf2&URL=http%3a%2f%2fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2f2009%2f12%2fwhy-we-have-federal-antidiscrimiation.html" target="_blank">Diversity Nightmare And Federal Antidiscrimination Laws: Cleveland Clinic CEO Delos M. Cosgrove Would Proudly Discriminate Against Fat People</a>"<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">As a physician who has been up and down the scale myself, and discriminated against when on the heavy side, I am quite tired of such attitudes.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">I note more realistic attitudes at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/redir.aspx?C=662852f86e3b407cbb5ec8434288ecf2&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.weightcenter.org%2f" target="_blank">http://www.weightcenter.org/</a> .<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">I believe a statement from you on this matter would be appropriate.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> </div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am CC'ing this message to cswd.org and amplestuff.com, two groups with whom I communicated in the past.</span></div></blockquote><br />It is a sad day indeed when the Chairman of one of the finest hospitals in the world, Massachusetts General, talks stupidly and discriminatorily out of the distal gastrointestinal orifice about how much people put in the proximal end of their GI tracts.<br /><br />-- SS

Bigotry Against the Obese by Leaders of Massachusetts General Hospital and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts?

I am amplifying a post by Roy Poses entitled "Why Pretend An Advertising Executive and Chamber of Commerce Leader Are Public Health Experts?".In that post, Dr. Poses noted a lack of relevant profess…

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Why Pretend An Advertising Executive and Chamber of Commerce Leader Are Public Health Experts?

Obesity as a public health problem has been the subject of considerable discussion.  So that luminaries from the prestigious Partners Healthcare system and Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield would weigh in on the issue at a public meeting should surprise no one.  But see this <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/view.bg?articleid=1247334&srvc=rss">report</a> by the Boston Herald:<br /><blockquote>When asked about rising health-care costs, Jack Connors - chairman of the Partners chain, which includes Mass. General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals - said yesterday, 'Taking care of yourself starts at home.'<br /><br />'What happened to individual responsibility?' Connors said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Westin Boston Waterfront. <em>'Why is <strong>obesity</strong> such an epidemic (when) we all know that a big part of being healthy is exercising and eating the right food?</em>'<br /><br />Blue Cross Blue Shield Chairman Paul Guzzi <em>echoed Connors’ attitude</em> yesterday.<br /><br />'What is the responsibility of the individual?' said Guzzi, who as the chamber’s chief executive hosted Senate President Therese Murray’s speech on health care yesterday, despite his dual role as Blue Cross chairman.</blockquote><br />Jack Connors is currently chair of the board of Partners Healthcare.  A quick biography is <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=68329&p=irol-govBio&ID=110624">here</a>:<br /><blockquote>John M. Connors, Jr., 67, Chairman Emeritus of Hill Holliday (formerly Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc). (full service marketing and communications company) since 2006. Chairman of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc. from 1995 until 2006, during which time Mr. Connors also served as President and Chief Executive Officer until 2003. Mr. Connors was a founding partner of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos. Director of Covidien Ltd. Mr. Connors’ 40 years of business experience includes cofounding and developing one of the top advertising and marketing communications firms in the United States, advising many of the top branded companies in the world, and serving on the boards of dozens of entities, including public companies, private companies, hospitals and colleges. (Biographical Information as of 4/16/10)</blockquote><br />Although Mr Connors did once run a medical education and communications company (see <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/06/mans-best-hospital-run-by-boss-of-mecc.html">this post</a>), he has no obvious direct experience or training in biology, epidemiology, public health, or medicine.<br /><br />Similarly, <a href="http://www.bostonchamber.com/about/about_the_ceo.aspx">here</a> is biography of Paul Guzzi:<br /><blockquote>Paul Guzzi is president and chief executive officer of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, one of the region’s leading business associations.<br /><br />Mr. Guzzi brings extensive experience in both business and government to his work at the Chamber. A former Massachusetts secretary of state and chief secretary to the Governor, as well as a member of the management teams of two Fortune 500 companies; he is a leading advocate for economic development and job creation.<br /><br />Prior to leading the Chamber, Mr. Guzzi was vice president of state and community affairs for Boston College. Previously, he was a consultant for Heidrick & Struggles, an international recruitment and consulting firm. Mr. Guzzi also served as a vice president at Data General Corporation and as a senior vice president at Wang Laboratories. During his tenure at Wang, he worked closely with Dr. An Wang to oversee the restoration and transformation of what is now the Wang Theatre.<br /><br />Mr. Guzzi began his public service career as a state representative from Newton in 1970. He was elected Massachusetts secretary of state in 1974. Mr. Guzzi served as a chief of staff for Governor Edward King and chief administrator of the Board of Regents of Public Higher Education.<br /><br />A graduate of Harvard University, Mr. Guzzi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in government. He completed the Harvard Business School Management Development Program. He was also an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. </blockquote><br />Again, Mr Guzzi has no obvious training or experience in biology, epidemiology, public health, or medicine.<br /><br />So maybe it should be no surprise that the Boston Herald article chronicled some skepticism about these worthies' public health pronouncements.<br /><blockquote>Calling the pair’s comments 'pure smoke blowing,' Boston University public health professor Alan Sager said, 'Sure individual responsibility matters, but the responsibility for efficient, affordable, high-quality health care for all Americans falls on everybody who works in health care.'</blockquote><br />By the way, <br /><blockquote>Connors said a major reason for rising health-care costs is that a high percentage of people who leave the hospital are later readmitted, because they don’t follow their doctors’ directions. He owns a company, Dovetail Health, that makes money by helping elderly patients readjust to life after hospitalization, including staying on their medications.</blockquote><br />Every week I get piles of notices of "healthcare" conferences at which most of the speakers are health care organizational executives with no obvious expertise or experience in actual health care, or in biology, epidemiology, public health or medicine. I think I dimly remember a time when most people who gave public remarks on health care actually knew something about health care, not just about making money (often personally in large amounts) from the health care "industry." <br /><br />Note that while the Herald was able to find people who were skeptical about these health care leaders' remarks, there was no report that their audience (presumably made up mainly of business people) roared with laughter at their efforts to talk about controversial topics which they did not seem to really understand.<br /><br />We need to ask why we have become so deferential to leaders of large (and and least heretofore prestigious) health care organizations that we treat them like true experts on biology, epidemiology, public health or medicine when they have no obvious expertise, or even knowledge in these areas?<br /><br />Thanks to one of our anonymous scouts for a tip on this item.

Why Pretend An Advertising Executive and Chamber of Commerce Leader Are Public Health Experts?

Obesity as a public health problem has been the subject of considerable discussion.  So that luminaries from the prestigious Partners Healthcare system and Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield would w…

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