tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post1820709053309765557..comments2024-03-29T04:06:37.402-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: The Medical Overtreatment ProblemStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-40232606872981019592012-08-31T05:13:12.603-07:002012-08-31T05:13:12.603-07:00It would be interesting to remove the costs of tre...It would be interesting to remove the costs of treating illegal aliens and their families in both of these states. Both of which have a huge population of illegals. It would seem that using California and Texas as an example has problems of its own They may be governed by different principles, but they essentially have the same problems. One that increasingly adds to the costs of services in more and more states.<br />Add to that 23 million people without jobs who still use emergency rooms and require medical care and we begin to see that health care costs are going to rise.Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962996070458991675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-6664230857591998782012-08-30T14:02:22.873-07:002012-08-30T14:02:22.873-07:00I'm wondering what you make of Sanjay Gupta...I'm wondering what you make of Sanjay Gupta's argument, to the effect that physicians order far more tests than they need to because they fear lawsuits, and that these tests sometimes produce false positives that provoke unnecessary treatments.<br /><br />Are you saying that physicians do not overtreat their patients at all?<br /><br />I would like to see a reference to the situations in California and Texas... all told these states are governed by very different principles, so I am curious about the comparison.<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the discussion.Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-87863003777267953682012-08-30T12:54:11.034-07:002012-08-30T12:54:11.034-07:00Litigation doesn't affect the cost of healthca...Litigation doesn't affect the cost of healthcare much at all. A 2010 Harvard Study placed the costs at $55.6 billion, or 2.4% of healthcare spending. Studies, including one from the Bush White House, came to about the same conclusion.<br /><br />States that have passed malpractice reform, like California and Texas, have shown NO decrease in costs. In fact, costs in those states are rising faster than the national average.<br /><br />The number one reason doctors order extra tests is that they don't know what exactly is going on. An expensive MRI, for example, is more accurate than a physical exam. COnsidering all the information a doctor has to know, getting an MRI becomes rote, and you teach that to the next generation of doctors.<br /><br />Doctors want to pay lower malpractice insurance rates, and malpractice reform does address that (somewhat). But let's not fool ourselves into thinking that malpractice fears have much to do with the rising cost of healthcare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-33236825202319982792012-08-29T05:54:24.996-07:002012-08-29T05:54:24.996-07:00Of course the ABA would present a study that says ...Of course the ABA would present a study that says the high cost of medical care is not the legal profession's fault. As there is increasing realization that litigation, especially nuisance suits, are raising the cost of almost everything in this country we are going to see more of this kind of legal justification.<br />If this was not about the money then lawyers would do malpractice litigation as "pro bono" and the jury awards would go to those who have been wronged instead of their own pockets.<br />There are good lawyers who take their responsibilities to the public seriously and then there are those who use the legal system to extort the rest of us. It does seem that "Due Process" has become the money due in the process. One can almost envision a conveyor belt winding its way through the court house with a large number of hands reaching out and taking their share of the money due in that process.<br />I have gotten to know a number of lawyers, judges and doctors and the honest ones will tell you that litigation DOES cause doctors to practice CYA medicine to the detriment of everyone involved.Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962996070458991675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-61052715200588066882012-08-28T16:13:18.861-07:002012-08-28T16:13:18.861-07:00"And every American has been inculcated with ..."And every American has been inculcated with the notion that physicians are venal and error-prone, to the point where we need armies of lawyers to protect us against their predatory impulses." That's what Obama told us, including unneeded amputations.Sam L.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-78096671191597403142012-08-28T07:24:01.834-07:002012-08-28T07:24:01.834-07:00Thank you for the clarification. I suppose that we...Thank you for the clarification. I suppose that we would have to look at the incidence of overtreatment in states that have enacted malpractice reform and its incidence in states that have not.<br /><br />Gupta, of course, was responding to the lawyers by showing that the practice of defensive medicine has many costly consequences, beyond the cost of malpractice insurance.Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-26431415137887079782012-08-28T06:52:13.001-07:002012-08-28T06:52:13.001-07:00It's probably hard to find a non-biased source...It's probably hard to find a non-biased source.<br /><br />Law publications will stress how little medical malpractice contributes to health care costs, whereas medical publications will point their fingers at attorneys.<br /><br />The overtreatment problem could, in part, be a lagging response to the golden age of trial lawyers when the John Edwardses of the world really made some money.<br /><br />There has been significant tort reform. There have also been limits on damages.<br /><br />Also, you will find pockets of plaintiff-friendly courts who still award lottery-type winnings because the jury pool likes to give money to it's friends.<br /><br />Law's just hard to pin down from a systemic approach since each jurisdiction is different.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11126071014909954387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-30594763359586793642012-08-28T06:22:36.202-07:002012-08-28T06:22:36.202-07:00Thanks for the information. Where can we go to rea...Thanks for the information. Where can we go to read up on this... and, if it's not the lawyers, how does one explain the overtreatment problem?Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-21271228647029289392012-08-28T06:18:18.004-07:002012-08-28T06:18:18.004-07:00Medical malpractice is a dying industry for lawyer...Medical malpractice is a dying industry for lawyers.<br /><br />So is personal injury, for that matter.<br /><br />Whatever's happening in the medical system, it's not because lawyers are able to scam the system. <br /><br />For whatever reason, the sun is setting on the golden age of trial lawyers.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11126071014909954387noreply@blogger.com