Snake oil, still available

While many in the health care industry are betting their strategic plan on some combination of accountable care organizations, limited networks, and global payments, there is clearly a segment that is going the other way. These are hospitals that seem to be betting on the discretionary, luxury market for care, and especially cancer care.

These hospitals advertise to a national audience in media of general circulation. I saw a few recently in an airline magazine.

What is striking about some is the modern equivalent of snake oil that they are peddling. Preying on the fear of cancer, their verbiage and offer of amenities overshadows the fact that their proposed combination of therapies has no proven efficacy greater than that found in oncology centers in communities throughout the world.

Here’s one. I am NOT making this up.

Built in Accordance with Nature

Built to Outsmart Cancer

Vastu, the ancient Indian science of architecture and building, works in accordance with the natural laws of the universe – Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Space. A building designed to Vastu standards ensures that these elements exists harmoniously, which in turn balances the energy of the building itself. A Vastu designed building, therefore, positively affects the overall well-being of all who enter.

…[W]e are able to provide what no other cancer center in the world can offer – a healing atmosphere for any and all ailments while enhancing the spiritual, emotional, and mental aspects of the human being.

(After more of this, we find a list of services offered. Like a midrange restaurant that is trying to make its menu appear to be haute cuisine, they use capital letters on normal words to give the appearance of something special. I am especially taken with “Clinical Lab with Pathology”!)

Medical Oncology • Hematology • Radiation Oncology (Including the World’s Most Advanced Robotic Radio Surgery, The CyberKnife™ • Surgical Oncology • State-of-the-Art Imaging & Radiology, Including PET/CT, CT, MRI, Digital Mammography & Nuclear Medicine • Dedicated breast center with Genetic Counseling • Clinical Lab with Pathology • Mind & Body Medicine • Naturopathy • Skin Cancer and Dermatology Center • Clinical Research

We can laugh at this, but it feels obscene when there remain millions of people without access to health care. It also feels obscene when there is so much work to be done on reducing waste and improving the quality and safety of care in clinical settings.