Interesting article about possible conflict of interest

I find this interesting in regard to frequent discussions on the forum about sleep doctors also dispensing equipment and directing patients to equipment providers in which they also had ownership. Including doctors who were extremely reluctant to give their patients their prescriptions.....also, faxing the prescriptions directly to a DME of their choice.

ALWAYS get your prescription!!!

Den


h t t p : / / news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070626/hl_nm/doctors_clinics_dc_3;_ylt=AgQoQ9UzlT0yuCnoWO8V_boE1vAI

AMA to seek probe of U.S. retail health clinics By Julie Steenhuysen
Mon Jun 25, 9:22 PM ET

The American Medical Association said on Monday it will ask state and federal authorities to investigate retail health clinics such as those offered in CVS/Caremark stores, Wal-Mart Stores and Walgreen Co. for possible conflicts of interest.

The nation's biggest physician group objects to the growing trend of drug-store chains that can write and fill prescriptions. "We asked for that clear, inherent conflict of interest to be investigated," said AMA board member Dr. Peter Carmel at a news briefing.

The AMA said the push was driven by retailers' statements that the clinics help drive store traffic.

Carmel said health insurers are allowing store-based clinics to waive or lower patient co-payments, while forcing doctors to collect these fees.

"That is clearly an attempt to steer the patient to a store-based clinic," he said.

Doctors said the clinics do not offer comprehensive care and they disrupt the standard physician-patient relationship.

"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care," said Dr. Rodney Osborn, president of the Illinois State Medical Society, who practices in Peoria, Illinois.

In 2006, there were more than 200 store-based health clinics nationwide, according to the AMA, and another 1,000 such health clinics are projected by the end of 2007.

The influential physician's group said it will support legislation governing "the corporate practice of medicine."

The AMA's 555 delegates voted to adopt the position at its annual meeting in Chicago.

"We are certainly concerned about the action of the AMA," said Dr. Rebecca Hafner, medical director for strategic alliances at retail clinic operator MinuteClinic, which was acquired by CVS last year.

"We think the net result will be that this will make it more difficult for MinuteClinic and other retail-based clinics to open new clinics," she said.

"That will decrease patient access to patient care at a time when many parts of the United States are experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians," she said.

Hafner said the clinics are staffed by board-certified registered nurses and physician's assistants. And while they do write prescriptions, she said they are trained to tell patients that they are free to fill prescriptions wherever they like.

Walgreen spokesman Michael Polzin said the retail clinic idea comes from a basic lack of primary care doctors.

"As this agenda is pushed, they may find out that legislators and their constituents have been demanding access to affordable and high-quality health care for years," Polzin said. "That is exactly what retail clinics are delivering as a supplement to the primary care physicians."

The pharmacy chain, which last month acquired clinic operator Take Care Health System, currently has six health clinics in six states and plans to open more than 400 by the end of 2008.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Deisha Galberth, in a statement e-mailed to Reuters, said the chain's 78 in-store clinics offer affordable care and extended hours of service, and it remains committed to opening as many as 400 more in-store clinics over the next two years.

Osborn, who proposed the measure, worries about the profit motive behind these ventures.

"I think the basic mission is different. These are very smart people going into this business and I don't think they are doing it for charity," he said.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

oops, might want to link to the article so our hosts do not get into trouble

mhacker wrote:

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

oops, might want to link to the article so our hosts do not get into trouble

I saw that.......that's why I left it at the bottom to give them credit.
If the forum administrators want to take it down, they can.....the link IS above the article.

Den

"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care,"

Sounds a lot like the reasons resmed gave for trying to shove internet shoppers back through the doors of the more expensive local DMEs, doesn't it?

rested gal wrote:"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care,"

Sounds a lot like the reasons resmed gave for trying to shove internet shoppers back through the doors of the more expensive local DMEs, doesn't it?

Right!

What I thought was hypocritical was that "the doctors" (AMA).....some of whom are doing this very same thing.....are complaining about "the 800 lb. gorillas" doing it. At least that's the way it struck me.....if I was reading it right.

I've also previously stated that I COULD foresee a time when some of this stuff would be available in stores like Wal-Mart.

Heck.....Wal-Mart is even looking into becoming a "banking" entity. Wait till the ABA (American Bankers Association) gets involved with THAT one.

Den

Yeah I think the AMA needs to take an anxiety pill, I see they backed off their claim that gaming was addictive:

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/47603


AMA only exits to protect the "cash-cow" of its members.

I've had really good service from Wal-Mart Pharmacy, $4 prescriptions for a month's supply of Lisinopril, no hassle order online, can't beat it.

Even the nurse at my doctor's office said go to Costco's pharmacy they are the cheapest. I said it is only $12 bucks for a 90-day supply at Wal-Mart how much cheaper can it be? I then said every time I've been by Costco pharmacy there is a line of at least 10-15 people waiting to get scripts filled.

With Wal-Mart, I order online, they send you an email when your script is ready to be picked up and they fill it for a 90-day supply. I went there and there was only 1 person ahead of me and they were gone in minutes, I paid my $12 bucks and I was out of there. That is NOT $12 bucks for a copay, I don't have script coverage that was my cost without insurance. I've gotten that script before at Longs with insurance and paid upwards of $25 bucks for "copay" for only a 30-day supply at half the dose.

Say what you want about Wal-Mart, it is not my favorite place to shop either, but I see them doing something about our healthcare and the protectionist organizations like the AMA (with 2 lobbyist for every congressmen) doing everything in their power to protect their members cash-cow. The AMA is not there to protect you, quite the opposite. Look at who runs the FDA, doctors. When they see their lively hood threatened by cheaper medicine they all cry wolf (no pun intended Wulfman ).

"Doctors said the clinics do not offer comprehensive care and they disrupt the standard physician-patient relationship."

That was another that made me chuckle. I read it as "they're keeping MY doctors hands from digging deeper into MY pockets"

I'm not a big fan of Wally World, either.....but we do use their pharmacy and my wife does some shopping there. (Ya gotta save it where you can these days)


What I wasn't aware of was THIS:

"The nation's biggest physician group objects to the growing trend of drug-store chains that can write and fill prescriptions."

I hadn't been aware that they were doing that......obviously in selected locations....?


Den

OMG, someone is cutting into the docs bottom line!!!!

PUHLEEZZZ!!!! That entire line of reasoning given by the AMA is dripping with hypocrisy......

With such classic statements such as

"Osborn, who proposed the measure, worries about the profit motive behind these ventures.

"I think the basic mission is different. These are very smart people going into this business and I don't think they are doing it for charity," he said.

Well excuse the f*** out of me if you think that the AMA docs go to work for charity everyday either.

But the kicker....the absolute, eternal kicker that these people do is take the "moral high road" with such statements as ....

"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care," said Dr. Rodney Osborn

Well if you think they are malpracticing, then investigate individual cases based on reasonable evidence, not a blanket policy of every retail clinic in the country.

Most of these places are staffed by a Nurse Practicioner or a Physician's Assistant. These places are great for your minor ailments, sniffles, cuts, etc. etc. It takes an act of Congress for me to see my GP (although I try....she's 33, tall, red hair....ummm anyway ) Sometimes you just need a quick script for some antibiotics and that's it and don't want to fool with it all.

PA'a and NP's are limited in their script writing powers anyway, so it's not like people are going to go to these places expecting a full workup for cancer or something.

It is what it is, and for the AMA to come down on this means only one thing.......THEY ARE JUST UPSET THEY DIDN"T THINK OF IT FIRST ($$$$$$)

rested gal wrote:"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care,"

Sounds a lot like the reasons resmed gave for trying to shove internet shoppers back through the doors of the more expensive local DMEs, doesn't it?

Just out of curiousity......Has anybody been following the stock prices of ResMed (RMD) and Respironics (RESP) lately?
For the last week, ResMed has dropped below Respironics.....and stayed there.

Den

I would have been surprised if Resmed's stock hadn't dropped a bit - bear in mind those 300,000 xPAPs they have recalled and are replacing. That has GOT to cut into their profit margin and stock price for a while.

Wulfman... wrote:Just out of curiousity......Has anybody been following the stock prices of ResMed (RMD) and Respironics (RESP) lately?
For the last week, ResMed has dropped below Respironics.....and stayed there.

Den

Nice news, Den.

I'd like to think it's at least in part 'cuz of this:

LINKS to discussions about resmed's internet sales policy
viewtopic.php?p=98895
Link to discussion about resmed's internet sales policy

But maybe it's just the recall flap finally having an effect:

LINKS to topics about recall of resmed S8 machines
viewtopic.php?t=19643

Interesting sidenote: a guy in town who has a recall serial number emblazoned resmed Escape machine still hasn't been contacted by his DME about the recall. He's set the Escape aside and is using a cpap I've loaned him. Gonna let it sit to see how long it is before they ever "let him know" to check his serial number. Wonder if I'll ever see the loaner again?

"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care,"

Same crap they say when they're trying to block U.S. citizens from importing their drugs from Canada. You see, according to the drug companies, Canada is apparently awash in counterfeit drugs, and gosh, they wouldn't want you getting any of those.

Someone ought to tell the Canadians that. Last I checked, they weren't running around panicking because their health system has lots of counterfeit drugs. I don't see any huge concern about it up there.

Gosh, could the REAL reason be because they're so affordable up there? Heh-heh.

Wulfman... wrote:

rested gal wrote:"Our concerns are very simple: safety and patient care,"

Sounds a lot like the reasons resmed gave for trying to shove internet shoppers back through the doors of the more expensive local DMEs, doesn't it?

Just out of curiousity......Has anybody been following the stock prices of ResMed (RMD) and Respironics (RESP) lately?
For the last week, ResMed has dropped below Respironics.....and stayed there.

Den

I really don't see this in-house clinic thing as a big deal.

If you think about it, what's the difference between a "quick clinic" at Wal*Mart writing a prescription that can be filled in the store's pharmacy, and the optometrist at LensCrafters writing a prescription for lenses to be purchased there?

OCO

OwlCreekObserver wrote:I really don't see this in-house clinic thing as a big deal.

If you think about it, what's the difference between a "quick clinic" at Wal*Mart writing a prescription that can be filled in the store's pharmacy, and the optometrist at LensCrafters writing a prescription for lenses to be purchased there?

OCO

And, our local Wal-Mart has an optimetric clinic at their store, too.

Den