Managed Care Ethics--An Oxymoron? A Medical School Course? or a New U. S. Supreme Court Case? News at 11, Literally.
The U. S. Supreme Court has just agreed to decide whether HMOs can be sued for negligence in medical coverage. Dr. John La Puma, a practicing physician and author of the book Managed Care Ethics (Hatherleigh, NY, 1998) helps CNN's anchors Kathleen Hayes, Geri Willis and Valerie Morris clarify the issues. La Puma appeared with the attorney for the plaintiffs in the Davila v. Aetna Health Supreme Court case.
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) November 6, 2003 -
John La Puma, MD, FACP, nationally recognized medical ethicist and author of Managed Care Ethics (Hatherleigh, NY, 1998) appeared with anchors Kathleen Hayes, Geri Willis and Valerie Morris of CNN on CNNfnÂ’s Flipside November 5, 2003 at 11 a. m. EST. La Puma discussed the ethical issues raised by managed care as viewed by practicing physicians who order treatments that their patients cannot or do not receive because of managed care coverage decisions.
La Puma was interviewed with the plaintiffs' attorney in the Aetna Health v. Davila case, in which a Texas patient sued after being required to take slightly more dangerous, less expensive medication for arthritis, instead of the medication, Vioxx, which his physician had recommeneded. He suffered a serious intestinal bleed, but can no longer take medication absorbed through the stomach. The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether HMOs can be sued for negligence in coverage.
The law is a floor for ethics--it is the least we should do. And ethics is what you do when no one else is looking, and no one else may look. Managed care ethics tries to answer the questions "How much coverage is fair? When should a doctor take financial considerations into account in treatment? Which decisions should be medical? Which should be administrative?
On CNN, La Puma offered first hand, practical approaches to what can seem like impossible, philosophical questions. For example, health care is managed care now. But should consumers and physicians be insulated from health careÂ’s real costs? Should physicians be the ones to negotiate on price? Does ERISA, the federal Act which governs benefits, protect managed care organizations from negligence because health care coverage is an employee benefit?
About Dr. La Puma
The first physician in the country to enroll in and complete a fellowship in medical ethics, John La Puma, M. D., F. A.C. P. is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and a best-selling author. Dr. La Puma’s work has been featured in USA Today, Prevention, Men’s Journal, Parade, Diversion, Health, Self, Shape, Vogue, Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s Day and Newsweek Magazines, and he has appeared on major network outlets (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and PBS) nationwide. In 2003, he was named “One of the Country’s Top Physicians” by the Consumer’s Research Council. He worked in managed care as a practicing physician for nearly 10 years, writing 2 more books on ethics, and seeing patients with ethical problems in consultation. Dr. La Puma sees patients and lives in Santa Barbara, California.
