When doctors hawk products

Just another line of alternative medical income. Physicians are simply responding to reimbursement pressures:

Pediatricians in Encino sell diaper cream for infants, umbilical-care swabs for newborns and bath soap for babies; dermatologists in Los Angeles peddle skin cleansers, moisturizers and sunscreens; and gynecologists in Beverly Hills sell nutritional supplements.

Some physicians offer such products as a convenience for their patients or because they believe the products are superior to goods already on the market. Others are motivated, in large part, by financial gain. Whatever the reason, the sale of such goods raises ethical questions for doctors and a very practical question for patients: Should I buy what my doctor is trying to sell me?

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