Why Groupon and other social coupons are unethical in healthcare

Social Media in Medicine
May 16, 2013

In addition to the possible legal pitfalls of advertising on Groupon-type websites, there are also ethical and practice management concerns to be weighed by healthcare practitioners before agreeing to such arrangements. Even with the recent announcement that companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial may be offering contracts to healthcare providers that take into consideration the prohibition against fee splitting, practitioners should nonetheless proceed with caution.

The concerns about social coupons in the healthcare context extend …

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Why Groupon and other social coupons are unethical in healthcare

Is Groupon legal for doctors?

Physician
October 16, 2011

Groupon and other similar social sites, like Living Social and CoupTessa, are all the rage now.  But is it legal for doctors and dentists to advertise their services on these websites?

Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that features discounted gift certificates usable at local or national companies.  If a certain number of people sign up for the offer, then the deal becomes available to all; if the predetermined minimum is not met, no one …

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Is Groupon legal for doctors?

When professional courtesy could get physicians in trouble

Physician
September 18, 2011

More likely than not, a physician or a dentist has at one point provided discounted or free healthcare services to some patients by waiving all or part of a fee or the copayment and/or coinsurance obligations as a “professional courtesy.” According to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Compliance Program For Individual and Small Group Physician Practices guidelines, however, this practice may expose a physician to an investigation.

To be sure, not all professional courtesy discounts or free …

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When professional courtesy could get physicians in trouble