After heart disease, cancer is the second most expensive ailment in the U.S. And, if the emotional burden of a cancer diagnosis weren't enough, there's both an obvious and hidden (or indirect) financial cost, as well. 

Diagnostic testing, especially imaging, has increased extraordinarily in the U.S. and in a very inefficient, if not ineffective way.  Here's a plausible explanation, why and what to do about it.

"Managed Care 101 in 2010" runs the gamut from how you measure and do something about value in health care, to cost-comparisons, to who you can and cannot trust, to the rights and obligations of patients and practitioners, and the purlicue--how to fight back.

Lest we forget, health care is both art and science; the practitioner must do both well.  That is, good bedside manner can make a doctor popular, but without the proper knowledge and experience, he who she must rely on a patient's resilience.  Perhaps the best touchstone for this topic is pain management: Comments invited.