Doctor drops patient because of political views

[TranceNation]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...2149492_chavez14m.html


Jamie Chavez knew her Richland obstetrician felt strongly about limiting medical-malpractice awards. He bent her ear and offered pamphlets every time Chavez, pregnant with her first baby, visited him for prenatal care.

But she couldn't believe Dr. Mark Mulholland's reaction in November when she refused to sign a petition at the doctor's office for an initiative to limit jury awards in malpractice cases.

"I was kind of fired as a patient," she said.

Mulholland, whose malpractice-insurance premiums jumped 30 percent last year, said he told her he couldn't in good conscience provide medical care to someone with such contrary views on the issue.

 

[Wanescotting]

What did she expect?The almighty dollar wins again.

 

[digitalsm]

Originally posted by: TranceNation
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...2149492_chavez14m.html


Jamie Chavez knew her Richland obstetrician felt strongly about limiting medical-malpractice awards. He bent her ear and offered pamphlets every time Chavez, pregnant with her first baby, visited him for prenatal care.

But she couldn't believe Dr. Mark Mulholland's reaction in November when she refused to sign a petition at the doctor's office for an initiative to limit jury awards in malpractice cases.

"I was kind of fired as a patient," she said.

Mulholland, whose malpractice-insurance premiums jumped 30 percent last year, said he told her he couldn't in good conscience provide medical care to someone with such contrary views on the issue.

If he was an OBGYN hes just trying to protect his livlyhood. If he was a General Practioner hes just a jackass.

 

[UlricT]

doesnt Hippocrates come into play here? Or don't Ob-Gyns have to take that oath?

 

[digitalsm]

Originally posted by: UlricT
doesnt Hippocrates come into play here? Or don't Ob-Gyns have to take that oath?

Truth be told not all Drs have to take the Hippocratic Oath to practice medicne.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

Sounds like a pre-emptive CYA, since she wouldn't sign the petition maybe he thought she might have a higher potential to sue him.

 

[PatboyX]

id probably go ahead and leave a doctor who was giving me political pamphlets anywho...

 

[Pliablemoose]

This kind of stuff goes on all the time, usually to a lesser degree, but it helps the physicians keep from going insane dealing with patients that are offensive or disruptive.

It's one of the flaws with the idea of socialized medicine, you must continue to provide care for patients that are complete assholes.

 

[catnap1972]

Originally posted by: Yo_Ma-Ma
Sounds like a pre-emptive CYA, since she wouldn't sign the petition maybe he thought she might have a higher potential to sue him.

That or she wouldn't consent for him to practice his loving on her

 

[aidanjm]

What an asshole. She should have decked that guy.

 

[Tommunist]

It seems incredibly unprofessional to push political pamphlets at anyone in these kinds of situations. I would have bailed on this doctor if he was doin that anyway. It would be like a police officer pulling you over and asking if you support paying officers more and asking you to sign - a pretty big conflict of interest.

 

[kage69]

Unprofessional and petty. I hope the rest of his patients take note and treat him accordingly.

 

[Infohawk]

Hmmmm... A jerk and a doctor...could it be a certain 'surgeon' on this board? Oh wait that poster isn't a real doctor... 1 out of 2 though.

 

[daveshel]

Originally posted by: UlricT
doesnt Hippocrates come into play here? Or don't Ob-Gyns have to take that oath?

As long as the doc is not walking away from an emergency situation, he he free to contract with whom he chooses. Freedom of contract. Besides, the hypocratic oath is more ceremonial than official and is not legally binding in the first place.

Petty? Yes.
Unprofessional? Yes.
Ethical? Questionable.
Legal? Absolutely.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Most of you do not understand or realize the strain that malpractice and other such lawsuits are placing on the medical community...while I am in total support of docter's being held accountable for malpractice, there is a fine line between malpractice vs. a doctor being held accountable for conditions he could not possibly prevent, treat or identify under reasonable conditions...like so many other things, medical malpractice has become yet another "lottery" big payout in the sky for trial lawyers.

That a doctor chooses to drop a patient who does not share his view on this is totally understandable...if she is not aligned with his views on this matter, how can he be sure that this patient will not at some point seek the her lottery winnings should he make an honest mistake.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
Most of you do not understand or realize the strain that malpractice and other such lawsuits are placing on the medical community...while I am in total support of docter's being held accountable for malpractice, there is a fine line between malpractice vs. a doctor being held accountable for conditions he could not possibly prevent, treat or identify under reasonable conditions...like so many other things, medical malpractice has become yet another "lottery" big payout in the sky for trial lawyers.

That a doctor chooses to drop a patient who does not share his view on this is totally understandable...if she is not aligned with his views on this matter, how can he be sure that this patient will not at some point seek the her lottery winnings should he make an honest mistake.

Very true, especially in OB/GYN practices. While I agree with others that the doctor's behavior was petty and unprofessional to the extreme, I understand his reasoning, even if I do not agree with it. A family friend in the same state dropped the OB part of her practice strictly because the insurance premiums were too high. In more remote parts of the country, women are having to travel greater distances for OB care, which is NOT a good thing, given how important good pre-natal care is.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
That a doctor chooses to drop a patient who does not share his view on this is totally understandable...if she is not aligned with his views on this matter, how can he be sure that this patient will not at some point seek the her lottery winnings should he make an honest mistake.

Honest mistake? No such thing in the legal world. You make a mistake you pay for it. Is there anything so wrong with that? We enter into a contract and I screw up. Are you going to be happy when I say, "oops, honest mistake." It's called negligence. If you can't handle the pressure don't take the risk.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Honest mistake? No such thing in the legal world. You make a mistake you pay for it. Is there anything so wrong with that? We enter into a contract and I screw up. Are you going to be happy when I say, "oops, honest mistake." It's called negligence. If you can't handle the pressure don't take the risk.

The medical world is no quite so black and white because the identification and prevention of disease is not an exact science, so what defines negligence is open to objective discussion.

Let us assume that a doctor has a patient who is a heavy smoker, does not maintain a healthy diet and does not exercise...for years this doctor encourages his patient to change his lifestyle to no avail...let us assume that this patient develops some form of cancer, and during a routine checkup, the doctor fails to identify or notice said cancer. This could fall under malpractice, and it is totally without merit.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975

Honest mistake? No such thing in the legal world. You make a mistake you pay for it. Is there anything so wrong with that? We enter into a contract and I screw up. Are you going to be happy when I say, "oops, honest mistake." It's called negligence. If you can't handle the pressure don't take the risk.

The medical world is no quite so black and white because the identification and prevention of disease is not an exact science, so what defines negligence is open to objective discussion.

Exactly. If a doctor doesn't tell you to get a diagnostic test which will determine if you have or might develop disease X, which only 1% of the population your age develops, and you develop disease X anyway, was your doctor negligent? I'd say not. But what if the % were 10%? Well, maybe. There are few clear answers as to what exactly is medical malpractice.

 

[daveshel]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975

Honest mistake? No such thing in the legal world. You make a mistake you pay for it. Is there anything so wrong with that? We enter into a contract and I screw up. Are you going to be happy when I say, "oops, honest mistake." It's called negligence. If you can't handle the pressure don't take the risk.

The medical world is no quite so black and white because the identification and prevention of disease is not an exact science, so what defines negligence is open to objective discussion.

Let us assume that a doctor has a patient who is a heavy smoker, does not maintain a healthy diet and does not exercise...for years this doctor encourages his patient to change his lifestyle to no avail...let us assume that this patient develops some form of cancer, and during a routine checkup, the doctor fails to identify or notice said cancer. This could fall under malpractice, and it is totally without merit.

It is a bit closer to black and white than that. Negligence is defined by the "standard of care" which is determined by the community of health care professionals. Failure to live up to the standard can result in actionable malpractice.