Clementine
Platinum Member
- Dec 18, 2011
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No, this isn't about the VA, though the same logic applies there. When government gets involved, common sense flies out the window. Money is all that matters and there is no sympathy for the people who are suffering. Doctors have their hands tied. Government regulations don't allow doctors to do what is needed for patients as they go. The doctors are supposed to look into their crystal ball and make a plan. No changes allowed for that plan regardless of what unexpected circumstance befalls the patient. Welcome to the new America, where common sense is a thing of the past and government bureaucracy rules the day. Doctors have a clear choice thanks to the Obama administration. Let the patient die or go without pay. Most will follow their oath and save the patient. Government will say too bad they did that because they won't pay. Patients over 75 better have their affairs in order because they aren't allowed any treatment for serious illnesses. They won't bother trying to find a doctor who will treat them for free.
Politics: One doctor's story: Government endangering patients' lives, right in the middle of surgery | Best of Cain
In my pediatric ophthalmology practice, I have experienced firsthand how government limits a doctor's options and threatens the traditional doctor-patient bond.
I recently operated on a child with strabismus (crossed eyes). This child was covered by Medicaid. I was required to obtain surgical pre-authorization using a Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT, code for medical identification and billing purposes. The CPT code identified the particular procedure to be performed. Medicaid approved my surgical plan, and the surgery was scheduled.
During the surgery, I discovered the need to change my plan to accommodate findings resulting from a previous surgery by another physician. Armed with new information, I chose to operate on different muscles from the ones noted on the pre-approved plan. The revised surgery was successful, and the patient obtained straight eyes.
However, because I filed for payment using the different CPT code for the surgery I actually performed, Medicaid was not willing to adjust its protocol. The government denied all payment. Ironically, the code-listed payment for the procedure I ultimately performed was an amount 40% less than the amount approved for the initially authorized surgery. For over a year, I challenged Medicaid about its decision to deny payment. I wrote numerous letters and spoke to many Medicaid employees explaining the predicament. Eventually I gave up fighting what had obviously become a losing battle.
Politics: One doctor's story: Government endangering patients' lives, right in the middle of surgery | Best of Cain