To decompress a little, I feel strongly about this particular careless pattern of thought because it can have real negative consequences. In particular, when y

To decompress a little, I feel strongly about this particular careless pattern of thought because it can have real negative consequences. In particular, when you apply it to a doctor or a clinic it gives them strong incentive to reject those who need help the most. They'll have great stats if they only accept people who are fine anyway. But the people who needed a boost will be left to die on their own. This then becomes an argument for avoiding applying metrics to doctors or at all, which is dangerous in and of itself. In order to improve, any person or institution needs feedback. In order to make informed decisions, people need useful data. Sloppy statistics block that. Charging those statistics emotionally only makes it worse.