You Say "Defensive Medicine," I say "Second Opinion."

Walter Olson quotes Charity Doc's post about problems with the health system.  Surprisingly, Charity Doc considers the following to be defensive medicine.

spread[ing] the liability by consulting other doctors and specialists to get everyone under the umbrella...

Source: PointofLaw.com | PointOfLaw Forum: Does med-mal risk, like misery, love company?

Obviously, I disagree that consulting with one's peers is defensive medicine, except perhaps in the most obvious cases.  But the rest of Charity Doc's complaints are worth reading.  He assesses the numerous problems with our medical system.  Might I suggest we work on the other issues he brings up before we try and take away patient rights?

"...When ~47 millions of Americans do not have health insurance, we have a big problem. When a person in America has to make a decision between food on the table or pills in a bottle to take for his/her medical problems, it is an national disgrace... When hospitals pass on the costs of healthcare to the public by marking everything up by 1000%, we all have to pay painfully... When hospital and HMO administrators without any clinical experience or medical background can dictate what tests and studies physicians can or cannot order, the ship is being run by idiots and is doom to sink... [If the HMO's are allowing the doctor s to get second opinions - I mean practice defensive medicine - what does that say? - Justinian]"  

Source: Fingers And Tubes In Every Orifice: Taking a break

I suggest checking out the rest of Charity Doc's post as this is just a sampling.

Technorati tags: Walter Olson, Point of Law, Charity Doc, Medical malpractice, Defensive medicine, patient rights

Comments

[Charity Doc]

I'm glad that you disagree. And for the most part consultations with colleague physicians are for their expertise in the respective subspecialty fields that they are trained in. Certainly, one cannot expect an internist to perform surgeries, such as a laparoscopic cholescystectomy or a coronary artery by-pass graft, of course. One cannot expect a physician to be a know-all sage in every discipline of medicine. I'm not suggesting that every consultations made by physicians are a defensive move to spread liability, of course. But one thing I am certain of, whenever one of us smells the threat of liability coming from patients, it's consultations galore. Not because misery loves company, but strength in numbers, I think.