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The two things I read in this article, minus the loaded language and assumptions: 1. "Medical offices which have equipment for certain services provide those s

The two things I read in this article, minus the loaded language and assumptions: 1. "Medical offices which have equipment for certain services provide those services more often than offices that don't." They've got the equipment in-house, so of course they're going to use it. The article doesn't take into account the possibility that patients are choosing to go to these offices _because_ they have the in-house facilities for the treatment they want. Going from "doctors who have X machine order X procedure more often" to "doctors treat patients like an ATM machine" is a huge leap. 2. "Some surgeons in Florida performed unnecessary surgeries for money." There are bad apples in every bunch, this is why you get a second opinion before going under the knife. Yes surgeons get paid per procedure, yes it's a flawed system, but that doesn't mean they're all wheeling and dealing to get as many people to submit to surgery as possible. It's worth noting also that whenever the article says "charged patients" what they mean is "billed patients' insurance company." Chances are the people who don't have insurance were the ones smart enough to see another doctor before paying. This kind of fearmongering crap undermines confidence in medical professionals and medical science. The vast majority of medical professionals are extremely hard working, knowledgeable people who's primary goal is to help everyone that walks through their door. Without trust from their patients, they can't do this effectively.

paschutt 13y ago
As a medical professional I have witnessed this all first hand, to dismiss this as fear mongering is not very accurate. My experience was in the Cardiology field and how they use ultrasound procedures to basically increase the profitability of their practice. This was done by nearly every Cardiology practice in my community. When Medicare cut re-reimbursements of Echocardiograms guess what happened...they all just increased the frequency in which they ordered them. If you don't think a Electrophysiologist has a financial incentive to implant pace makers you're greatly mistaken.
Goronmon 13y ago
They've got the equipment in-house, so of course they're going to use it. Exactly, they are going to use it as much as they can, whether it's necessary or not, because they have it.
PavlovsCat 13y ago
> Going from "doctors who have X machine order X procedure more often" to "doctors treat patients like an ATM machine" is a huge leap. I recall what a nurse once told me, that she was glad she doesn't have private insurance, because that can easily mean they put "tubes into every hole" even when there is no point in doing so (this was in the context of terminal cancer, mind you). That was in Germany, and not in some crappy backwater hospital either. > There are bad apples in every bunch Actually it's "a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch". So instead of blaming "fearmongering crap", maybe blame the bad apples, instead of just accepting them as given. Not that you don't have a point at all; trust is really required. But not blind trust, and not naiveté; those are just as unhelpful as unfounded distrust would be. As they say, nature abhors a vacuum.

paschutt 13y ago

As a medical professional I have witnessed this all first hand, to dismiss this as fear mongering is not very accurate. My experience was in the Cardiology field and how they use ultrasound procedures to basically increase the profitability of their practice. This was done by nearly every Cardiology practice in my community. When Medicare cut re-reimbursements of Echocardiograms guess what happened...they all just increased the frequency in which they ordered them. If you don't think a Electrophysiologist has a financial incentive to implant pace makers you're greatly mistaken.

Goronmon 13y ago

They've got the equipment in-house, so of course they're going to use it. Exactly, they are going to use it as much as they can, whether it's necessary or not, because they have it.

PavlovsCat 13y ago

> Going from "doctors who have X machine order X procedure more often" to "doctors treat patients like an ATM machine" is a huge leap. I recall what a nurse once told me, that she was glad she doesn't have private insurance, because that can easily mean they put "tubes into every hole" even when there is no point in doing so (this was in the context of terminal cancer, mind you). That was in Germany, and not in some crappy backwater hospital either. > There are bad apples in every bunch Actually it's "a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch". So instead of blaming "fearmongering crap", maybe blame the bad apples, instead of just accepting them as given. Not that you don't have a point at all; trust is really required. But not blind trust, and not naiveté; those are just as unhelpful as unfounded distrust would be. As they say, nature abhors a vacuum.