Federal antikickback laws are meant to prevent suppliers from rewarding doctors who use their products if those physicians participate in Medicare, Medicaid or other federal programs (this is also why seniors cannot use copay cards for Medicare Part D drugs).
Category: Policy & Legislation
Tuesday Links
- Low income, large debts cause stress. They needed a poll to know this?
- Two-thirds of patients have never challenged the accuracy of a medical bill.
- Reason for the Adderall shortage: government. (NYT)
- What great thinkers seem to agree on: Walking is good. (NYT)
- Can electricity improve the functioning of the brain? (NYT)
FTC Wants to Ban Noncompete Employment Agreements
I know a doctor who relocated to a small town after being recruited to join a new practice. He sold his house, bought a new one and uprooted his family for a move 150 miles away. It turned out that it was not a lucrative move. His schedule was quickly filled with Medicare patients, most of whom required 30-minute visits due to multiple chronic conditions. He remarked that his pediatrician colleague could see two or three privately insured patients during the time it took him to see one (lower paying) Medicare patient. His income fell far below expectations and he decided to get out.
Lack of Compensation is Why Donor Organs are Scarce
The system for organ donation in the United States does not work well. About 3.5 million people die in the U.S. each year and many are potential organ donors. Yet, there are thousands of people on waiting lists for donor organs and thousands die waiting every year. According to the Washington Post: