Medical Accountability

Cynthia Fitzgerald faced the question of whether to be a Whistle-blower, and answered in the affirmative. The only Change over the years has been that such practices have even invaded her home State of Nebraska since her move to Texas. It is indeed Common Practice today, and even extends to the level of Practitioners; Doctors insisting on Lab trials which they know are valueless, and insisting on Brand-Name proscriptions though they are aware that other Drugs are more efficient and less-Costly. Will Novation be found guilty? Of course! Federal prosecutors will not take on a Case they cannot win; it is again a Prestige and Money-making thing. Will Novation discontinue the practices–then, Now, or in the Future? No! Everyone will simply consider it the Cost of doing business, and pass the Expense onto the Patients. Isn’t there something which can be done?

There are Options, but can Patients get Congress to resist the extremely powerful health lobby? The probable best enactment which Congress could pass would be a limitation upon Proscription Costs ( a legally-mandated Drug Benefit for all Patients), past which the Doctors themselves must pay for all Drug Costs utilized out of their personal charges to the Patient. Patients could Shop around for Cost-effective Doctors. Here is the Rub: Say that the Drug Benefit is set at a maximum of $2500 per year. Within a relatively Short Period, all Patients would be paying $2500 per year for Drugs; Drug companies soon realizing the Value of Kickbacks to Doctors. Malfeasance will continue as long as leeway is allowed.

A more effective Option would be making the Doctors, Clinics, and Hospitals defend their Medical Expense practices–sort of like having an Income Tax audit. The difference would be that all Three would have a mandatory Audit every 3-5 years. The Auditors would be a Commission consisting of equal numbers of Doctors and Medical Economists. Fines would be very simple, the crime being excess over-charging: 15% of all disputed charges. The Commission would also be entailed to periodically publish an Overview Manual listing the best overview discovery of means to save on Medical Costs in Treatment. This Manual would become mandatory practice withing 3 years of publication. Any added Cost of Paperwork would be paid with a mandatory Sales tax on all medical Drugs, medical equipment, and services. The entire purpose, here, would be to criminalize bad medical practice, in a manner which does not punish individual action, but records and punishes overall poor performance. lgl