More on Don Berwick

Well, there's another Don Berwick guest post over at Kevin MD, this one by Joseph Paduda. (It just went up today and it already has 40 comments!). He's one of the few writers (and I consider myself among those elite few) to point out that Berwick has espoused a radical consumer oriented view of health care. So then Paduda goes on to conclude that because Berwick's views are patient centered he must represent conservative values. That's a one-sided depiction because it ignores Berwick's other statements favoring wealth redistribution and the NHS model. Because Berwick has on the one hand advocated for patient choice and consumerism and on the other hand for rationing and central control we are left with a credibility gap. Berwick has yet to explain his diametrically opposed views. Until he does (and Bob Wachter recently said that Berwick is hyperarticulate and intellectually nimble, so why can't he?) he'll continue to come across as flaky.