death rates

The number of Americans dying from cancer has dropped for the first time since the government began collecting statistics in the 1930s. The number of cancer  deaths in U.S. fell from 557,271 in 2002 to 556,902 in 2003. That, according to some observers, is very good news. As the American Cancer Society's Michael Thun notes, "for the number of cancer deaths to decrease, the death rates have to fall sufficiently so that they exceed the growth and aging of the population. That finally …

While other doctor's groups have fought rising malpractice rates by lobbying for changes to liability laws, anesthesiologists appear to have been more successful by following a strategy of protecting themselves by adopting best practices. The Wall Street Journal reports that patient death rates have dropped dramatically as a result from one in 5,000 to about one in 200,000. The result: malpractice rates paid by anesthesiologists are actually lower than they were 20 years ago. And the specialty is considered among the safest bets by insurers. Story