Another example of how profits are influencing medical decision making. However, this is another case of physicians responding to Medicare’s ridiculous reimbursement system. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
Related posts:
- Poll: Testosterone replacement therapy in men with prostate cancer
- Should I get a PSA test for prostate cancer? A new study shows that screening for prostate cancer doesn’t necessarily save lives
- Prostate cancer screening in men over 75
- Not all doctors discuss the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening to patients
- Should you be screened for oral cancer, and are companies profiting from the uncertainty?
- Does masturbation really cause prostate cancer?
- Don’t blame doctors for capitation’s downfall
KevinMD.com on Facebook
{ 2 comments }
So Kevin, if medical decisions and guidelines are influenced by profits, how can you so fully support West Virginia plan that makes following these same guidelines obligatory with no possibility to refuse without loosing benefits?
Does anybody know if West Virginia plan includes PSA? Even if it doesn’t include it in required screenings, the plan requires “routine checkups” and these “routine checkups” are likely to include PSA without prior consent.
Once again the New York Times gets the story completely wrong. The total bill for prostate surgery is over $80,000 when the cost of dealing with the horrendous side effects of surgery is taken into account.
Prostate surgery is one of the most difficult procedures there is to perform. The prostate is buried deep within the body so the surgeon has to perform the surgery by feel. It does not help that the whole area is flooded with blood. It is not surprising that incontinence and impotence are common side effects of the surgery. The best surgeons have a 90% cure rate. The worst ones have a 68% cure rate.
Radiation delivery machines introduced in the past 4 years have a cure rate in the high 90s if the cancer is caught in time. There are minor side effects during treatment, and lasting side effects are rare.
So radiation has a higher cure rate, at a lower cost, with far fewer side effects. So if a urologist cares about his patients, he would be switching to radiation treatments. And if a person wants the truth, don’t read the New York Times.
Comments on this entry are closed.