Loose Lips

"The board appropriately conducted a review of my tenure here and found an instance in which I exercised poor judgment. I agree that the board's conclusion is accurate, and I have apologized to them."
—Paul Levy, president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in an e-mail to employees at the Boston hospital, apologizing for an unspecified transgression.

"This is unconscionable. WellPoint's actions are a textbook example of the profits-above-all-else Wall Street mentality that has caused major hardship for millions of average Americans. It’s time to break the profit-hungry habit."
—U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, responding to news that WellPoint Inc. reported a first quarter profit increase of 51%, even as subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross of California announced premium increases of up to 39% on 800,000 policyholders. WellPoint subsequently canceled the price hikes.

"There is considerable evidence that most boards are under-disciplining physicians. Most states are not living up to their obligations to protect patients from doctors who are practicing medicine in a substandard manner."
—Sidney Wolfe, MD, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, after it released an annual report showing wide disparities in the numbers of serious disciplinary actions taken against physicians by state medical boards.