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Another Emerging Ethical Dilemma

[By Hope Rachel Hetico; RN, MHA, CMP™]

Much has been said, and much has been written, about the various healthcare 2.0 initiatives and the new-wave patient collaborative schemes among medical stakeholders. Even our federal government, vis-a-vie, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA], of 2009 [“stimulus”] has increased funding related to health information technology [HIT] for physicians, hospitals and healthcare organizations; hopefully to benefit us all.

Information Technology Money

In fact, according to Steve Lieber, President of the Health Information Management Systems Society [HIMSS], about $20 billion will be investment into health information technology [HIT] at one time. Some money will flow into the current calendar year, some dollars will flow in subsequent years, and some funding will be available until spent.

Consumer-Oriented Websites

And so, it comes with surprise and dismay to me that some doctors may be telling their patients to censor themselves – or find another physician. This, of course, is anathema to consumer oriented websites like RateMDs and Vitals.com, etc. These sites give internet users the chance to recommend and review physicians and hospitals nationwide.

Unethical Behavior

But, some ethicists believe that such self-interested behavior is not professional and when a doctor acts primarily out of self-interest, it is ethically suspect. For example, according to Fox News on February 19, 2009, among groups spearheading the move to censor is a company called Medical Justice® which says it’s only helping protect doctors from online libel as an “emerging threat” within the medical profession. Founder Dr. Jeffrey Segal, a former neurosurgeon robustly supports the consumer rating sites in theory, but in practice they aren’t properly monitored and can do irreparable harm to a doctor’s reputation – especially when people pretending to be former patients write phony reviews.

Assessment

Medical Justice® has been mentioned on this forum before, and according to its website

Medical Justice® creates a practice infrastructure to prevent, deter, and respond to frivolous medical malpractice suits.  A membership-based organization, Medical Justice® is relentlessly committed to protecting physicians’ reputations and practices.

Link: http://www.medicaljustice.com

The Center for Peer Review Justice is also a related group of physicians, podiatrists, dentists and osteopaths who have witnessed the perversion of medical peer review by malice and bad faith.

Link: https://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/physician-peer-review

Industry Indignation Index: 65

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OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

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• HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
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• Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
• Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
• Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

Filed under: Ethics, Industry Indignation Index, Information Technology, Managed Care, Op-Editorials, Quality Initiatives, Research & Development | Tagged: AARA, Center for Peer Review Justice, Dr. Jeffrey Segal, HIMSS, HIT, IT, Medical Justice, RateMDs.com, Steve Lieber, Vitals.com | 20 Comments »