"Medical Ethics" | Arthritis Information
Article about balancing patient's needs vs. income:
http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=516916&sk=&date=&pageID=4
From the article:
A Maryland FP who requested anonymity points to several examples of financially motivated overtesting he's seen:
- The cardiologist who owns a nuclear testing facility sending way too many people—including young people who, based on their
symptoms, have little risk of heart disease—for testing.
- The vascular surgeon who, upon finding that a patient's leg pain has no vascular cause, nonetheless retests the patient every
six months thereafter.
- Gynecologists who routinely see women with normal pap smears twice a year.
- Radiologists who recommend an MRI or ultrasound for every positive CT scan.
Additionally, an FP in Washington says that he's noticed a trend toward overprescription of opiates. When he questioned several
physicians about their prescribing habits, they replied that pain medication addicts always pay their bills and keep follow-up
appointments. "I suspect that many physicians have climbed onto that slippery slope to secure their lifestyles," the FP says.
This is so sad. I'm all for making a buck, but that slippery slope just keeps getting slippery-er.
Pip
[QUOTE=Suzanne]From the article:
Additionally, an FP in Washington says that he's noticed a trend toward overprescription of opiates. When he questioned several
physicians about their prescribing habits, they replied that pain medication addicts always pay their bills and keep follow-up
appointments. "I suspect that many physicians have climbed onto that slippery slope to secure their lifestyles," the FP says.
[/QUOTE]
This part freaked me out! I see so many posts from people in over-the-top pain, with a serious dx, being refused pain meds. Then, we visit family members who picked up something heavy wrong and they are at the cookout talking about great Vicodin is. I'm always asking hubby, what kind of dr. do they see????? I'm always amazed to hear the story of some 'normal' injury, that I think we would manage with self-care, ending up being treated with such strong meds. I guess this explains it.
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