David R. Zimmerman

In the following viewpoint, David R. Zimmerman claims that reports on the dangers of medical errors are based on exaggerated and out-of-date information. He contends that the report issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)—the chief source cited by those who exaggerate the frequency of medical errors—was written without verification from independent sources and was therefore biased and unreliable. According to Zimmerman, the political agenda of the IOM, federal government, and media is to scapegoat medical practitioners while ignoring the need to improve health care systems. Zimmerman is the editor of Probe, a newsletter that critiques science and the media, and an adjunct professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What was former president Bill Clinton’s response to the...