Your Business

By symtym | 11.20.07

Your Doctor’s Business Is Your Business | WSJ | 11.20.07

“There should be a discussion between physicians and patients about financial involvements,” says Dr. Zuckerman, chairman of orthopedic surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. “As time goes on, patients will add this to the list of questions they have.”

In the end, patients shouldn’t be put in the position of having to quiz their doctor on his or her business practices, says David Blumenthal, a Massachusetts General Hospital researcher who studies conflict-of-interest issues. He says the onus should be on doctors, insurers and hospitals to inform patients of any stake they have in a treatment.

What Experts Recommend:

Ask if your doctor has any financial connection to the recommended treatment.

If the answer is yes, seek a second opinion.

If unwilling to ask the doctor, do research on the Web

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raja, MD, MS 12/17/2007 05:24 PM 1 point
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I wonder about the full disclosure issues. While I believe in them, I think that we are unnecessarily limiting the scope of disclosure practices to physicians. I believe that lawyers, politicians, and officers of corporations should also be obliged to fully disclose their business practices and associations.

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