Arthur Lurvey, MD, reminds the members of the Orange County Medical Society (OCMS) that the waiver of Medicare deductibles and copayments requirement is unlawful and violates the anti-kick-back statutes. Although it may appear that the waiver of the 20% copayments and deductibles helps Medicare beneficiaries, several studies have shown that if patients are required to […]

HMOs have been very successful in reducing health care costs. This has happened primarily by intimidating doctors to provide less care and reduced hospital charges. The HMOs tell patients when they sign them up that they can get all the consultations and care they’ve been accustomed to. When the doctor puts the breaks on the […]

When I was a summer extern in a Kansas City hospital some years ago, the hospital employed Danish interns. As an idealistic third year medical student, I was struck by their comparison of American medicine with the practice of medicine in Denmark. American doctors, they said, try too hard to please their patients. In their […]