They have been known to send patient home from ER without a thorough work up as surgeons decide who gets hospital beds.

We see some employees as patients. Mayo is not patient centered and not physician run. Administrative counsels don’t just fire they disenigrate confidence to the point of obliterating self esteem, trying to make them quit so they are not eligible for benefits.

Some community PCPs have challenged Mayo and then cannot get patient records unless patients sign for them, even though the PCP ordered the tests and referred the patient over to them.

They were formed as a surgery center and that is what they are best doing. Yes, they have great doctors in other areas, but surgery is their main behind the scenes focus.

When we see President Obama hold them up as cost effective we laugh as it is well known that their physicians do not work together side by side with patients, and to pad their bottom line they run tests like crazy with no regard to cost to patient, or insurance companies, never checking with PCPs to see what tests have already been done. We “lose” patients in the system when sending them over for one test they internally refer and never let PCP know.

I thought House MD was meant to be divorced from reality in medicine, American or otherwise.

This clearly cannot be happening, you cannot offer anything in medicine simply because someone will pay for it. Is there no more to the picture?

Anyway, the sentiment seems to be towards phasing this out, which is a blessing.

In addition, if you honestly believe that radiologists and physician owners of these machines are not pushing the scans to cover costs, then I don’t know what else to say. But I personally do not own machines and do not profit from scans. So as far as your point about physicians “making up their minds”, it’s not most physicians. Please stop generalizing.

My original point is when you say its okay to let the “affluent” executives have their scans, I repeat, it is NOT okay, and it is harming everyone, including YOU.

Sounded more like a rant to me.

Then why are physicians constantly claiming that they perform test after test (which presumably includes scans) that aren’t medically indicated but are solely for “defensive” purposes? They claim the lawyers make them do it, but now you’re telling me it’s done for profit? You guys should make up your minds and stick with a story, lest the public start questioning you more closely.

Medicare is almost certainly not paying for these executive physicals, btw.

This has nothing to do with medicine as a “system” (whatever that means). I’m an internist in NY and I see this over-ordering of tests to cover the costs of newer technology, in an attempt to woo an un-saavy public, over-influenced by the internet and television ads, demanding MRI’s of every organ. And I waste so much time explaining why that shouldn’t be done, But according to you, if they can afford it, then I should just let them at it. That’s why medicine is sucking lately. Thanks, Matt.

Either making more money or saving more of the taxpayers’ money in your case pervades, molests and fundamentally changes the practice of any profession. You cannot divorce the two, because money is what is required for equipment, your salary, etc. Someone pays for all those things, and that someone will affect your practice.