Comments on: Healthy heart scan http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html#comment-89351 Anonymous Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:35:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/healthy-heart-scan.html#comment-89351 wait a minute -- let's think about false positives...if you are the one who gets a false positive, you should be pleased. On the other hand, not having a scan, you will get false negatives...that would be a bad thing because then you die. <br/>It's the people who paid for the scan and actually find something are the ones that are rightfully raving about this service. <br/><br/>If the medical establishment wants to deny care because it believes that it's a false positive, you're in the wrong business. Stop telling people what they should and should not pay for. If you don't want the cadillac, don't get one, but don't go crying when your car gets totaled and you don't have airbags... wait a minute — let’s think about false positives…if you are the one who gets a false positive, you should be pleased. On the other hand, not having a scan, you will get false negatives…that would be a bad thing because then you die.
It’s the people who paid for the scan and actually find something are the ones that are rightfully raving about this service.

If the medical establishment wants to deny care because it believes that it’s a false positive, you’re in the wrong business. Stop telling people what they should and should not pay for. If you don’t want the cadillac, don’t get one, but don’t go crying when your car gets totaled and you don’t have airbags…

]]> By: The Happy Hospitalisthttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html#comment-87340 The Happy Hospitalist Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:13:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/healthy-heart-scan.html#comment-87340 you pay for the $79 scan out of pocket. Then when an "abnormality" arises, even a vague one, the far more expensive heart cath or biopsy in the case of CT screening is paid for out of our Medicare funds or health insurance pool which raises the cost for everyone. It's not as simple as you spending your own money. You will eventually be spending my money, correct that, wasting my money for services you don't need. A heart scan for everyone is no more appropriate than is the scare tactics used for carotid and AAA screening. you pay for the $79 scan out of pocket. Then when an “abnormality” arises, even a vague one, the far more expensive heart cath or biopsy in the case of CT screening is paid for out of our Medicare funds or health insurance pool which raises the cost for everyone. It’s not as simple as you spending your own money. You will eventually be spending my money, correct that, wasting my money for services you don’t need. A heart scan for everyone is no more appropriate than is the scare tactics used for carotid and AAA screening.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html#comment-87338 Anonymous Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:31:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/healthy-heart-scan.html#comment-87338 "They are using misleading and faulty advertising to convince uninformed people that they not only want but need this product."<br/><br/>Didn't you just describe the advertising industry for virtually every product? <br/><br/>What is misleading about it? Are you saying that a CT scan has virtually no usefulness? “They are using misleading and faulty advertising to convince uninformed people that they not only want but need this product.”

Didn’t you just describe the advertising industry for virtually every product?

What is misleading about it? Are you saying that a CT scan has virtually no usefulness?

]]> By: Diorahttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html#comment-87335 Diora Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:10:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/healthy-heart-scan.html#comment-87335 Anon at 8:52: they are not "selling the product that people want". They are using misleading and faulty advertising to convince uninformed people that they not only want but need this product. A little different don't you think?<br/><br/>It amazes me how doctors justify this type of advertising - "oh this is what people want". Lay people don't read USPSTF or any other recommendations. Lay people don't understand that tests aren't risk free. Lay people have been listening to "just catch it early and it'll save your life" pitches on TV and radio (and not only for recommended tests) for decades. <br/><br/>Drug ads have disclaimers. Why are these companies allowed to advertise their medical product using scare tactic and without disclaimers? Such as "the test has not been recommended for healthy people. The test has not been shown to save lives when done on healthy symptomles people. Doing this test may increase your risk of cancer by ...". <br/><br/>This is not about supply-demand. This is about misleading and fraudalent advertising that has a potential to harm. Anon at 8:52: they are not “selling the product that people want”. They are using misleading and faulty advertising to convince uninformed people that they not only want but need this product. A little different don’t you think?

It amazes me how doctors justify this type of advertising – “oh this is what people want”. Lay people don’t read USPSTF or any other recommendations. Lay people don’t understand that tests aren’t risk free. Lay people have been listening to “just catch it early and it’ll save your life” pitches on TV and radio (and not only for recommended tests) for decades.

Drug ads have disclaimers. Why are these companies allowed to advertise their medical product using scare tactic and without disclaimers? Such as “the test has not been recommended for healthy people. The test has not been shown to save lives when done on healthy symptomles people. Doing this test may increase your risk of cancer by …”.

This is not about supply-demand. This is about misleading and fraudalent advertising that has a potential to harm.

]]> By: PharmacistMikehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html#comment-87331 PharmacistMike Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:10:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/healthy-heart-scan.html#comment-87331 One issue is the risk for malignancies due to unnecessary CT scans. How can the government allow companies to sell a product/service that can lead to cancer? Oh, never mind, I forgot, we still sell cigarettes. One issue is the risk for malignancies due to unnecessary CT scans. How can the government allow companies to sell a product/service that can lead to cancer? Oh, never mind, I forgot, we still sell cigarettes.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/health-heart-scan.html#comment-87330 Anonymous Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:52:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/healthy-heart-scan.html#comment-87330 Kevin,<br/><br/>Why should they care much? They are selling a product that people apparently want. Do the people who sell GPS equipment for cars care much that maps are still cheaper and easy to use? Should they? Of course not.<br/><br/>If the person paying the bill wants a product or service, why is it a bad thing that they get it? If you think it's useless, then tell them why. But whining about "the overall cost of health care" keeps pushing us toward universal healthcare because instead of viewing this as you providing a service for a fee, you see your industry as a monolith. Monoliths get taken over by the government.<br/><br/>Is that really what you want? Kevin,

Why should they care much? They are selling a product that people apparently want. Do the people who sell GPS equipment for cars care much that maps are still cheaper and easy to use? Should they? Of course not.

If the person paying the bill wants a product or service, why is it a bad thing that they get it? If you think it’s useless, then tell them why. But whining about “the overall cost of health care” keeps pushing us toward universal healthcare because instead of viewing this as you providing a service for a fee, you see your industry as a monolith. Monoliths get taken over by the government.

Is that really what you want?

]]>