Healthcare Update Satellite — 02-24-2014

This article is just one of what I’m sure will be many more to come. Another article on the same topic is here. And another. Receiving healthcare insurance doesn’t guarantee you medical care any more than receiving automobile insurance guarantees you a car. And California is getting close to Florida as one of the states in which doctors should NEVER consider practicing medicine. Topeka, Kansas VA Hospital is converting its emergency department into an urgent care clinic. As a result, the hospital no longer has to take ambulance runs. Hospital cites staffing shortages. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran alleges that the VA’s failure to hire appropriate staffing is “causing a … backlog of our nation’s heroes who are not receiving the heath care they need.” Do doctors need to lie to patients? Is it ethical to tell a patient that everything will be alright when the doctor knows that is not the case? Another example of selective government “transparency.” Feds want to release payment numbers to physicians for providing medical care, but refused to disclose how much money grocery stores were earning from government food stamps. Government attorneys argued that the data was privileged and exempted from the Freedom of Information Act. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals shot down that argument.
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs