Comments on: "Free" healthcare and plasma TVs

By: Evan

Evan — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 03:35:00 +0000

Anon 5:51, I assume you are aware of referral bias. If half the cases referred to you are malingerers, that does not mean that 1/2 of WC cases are malingerers. The only way they could be equal was if there were a 100% referral rate to you.

Obviously in most WC systems a lower level of care would be offered initially and if that care were effective your services would not be necessary.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:15:00 +0000

Let us make the analogy a bit more accurate. First we would close over 50% of all Circuit City Stores because they don’t meet the “Standard.” We would make sure that the stores that were closed were in minority communities. We would then outlaw Costco, Sam’s, Wal-Mart and Best Buy from selling plasma televisions secondary to “scope of sales requirements.” We would then create special legal protections for stores that sell plasma televisions. For example, if your local store should drop a plasma television on your head and maim you… good luck getting restitution. Now… continue.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:51:00 +0000

Evan:

I do workman's comp consultation as a surgical specialist, and at least half of the cases, no kidding, are fraud. There is more than malingering, there are patients who make up ridiculous stories about how a clearly non-work-related problem was a result of something on the job. Then there are the others who have fooled a bunch of less specialized folks, claiming a persistent disability when no reliable evidence supports their claim. (Electrophysiology can be your friend).

And I have been at this a decade.

By: Evan

Evan — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:20:00 +0000

Anon 2:37, the risk of cancer can indeed scare people. But most people avoid necessary, paid for screening unless pushed.

Scalpel, None, none, none, none.

Throckmorton (are you usually on the left?) again, when someone has LSSSCP they are not going to comparison shop. Thus ... there is no market for the care of LSSSCP, there are only regional care plans. There may be a market for screening colonscopies, but ones done for emergent bleeding are again decided by non-market externalities.

Anon 3:45, Dunno if 2:26 had done any WC work before, but I have. And yes, most people don't malinger. If you think a majority of your WC cases are malingering you should probably take that up with someone. I'm pretty sure the standards of occupational medicine don't suggest that a majority of those cases are malingering.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:45:00 +0000

“Medical treatment is not anything sane people want.”
You haven’t taken care of any workers compensation patients have you?

By: throckmorton

throckmorton — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:32:00 +0000

In response that “medical treatment is not anything that sane people actually want”. I hope that the author of this will consider his statement when he has deep substernal chest pain that radiates to his left arm and neck. As for colonoscopies, I want one and had one. You see colon cancer has killed two uncles and one aunt.

By: scalpel

scalpel — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:27:00 +0000

How many shots of Demerol do you want? How many Z-paks? How many vicodin? How many MRIs?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:37:00 +0000

I know some people that would want one every 2-3 years instead of every three years. Let’s face it; the risk (however small) of cancer really can scare people.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:26:00 +0000

Not entirely apt:
How many colonoscopies do you really want?
Medical treatment is not anything that sane people actually WANT.