Insurers ask doctors for information that patients keep secret
In California, some doctors are objecting to a request by Blue Cross that asks doctors to look for conditions that new patients haven’t disclosed in their insurance application forms. The insurer says this helps combat fraud, and is nothing new; the request is voluntary for physicians. Some doctors feel it violates the doctor-patient relationship.
“We’re outraged that they are asking doctors to violate the sacred trust of patients to rat them out for medical information that patients would expect their doctors to handle with the utmost secrecy and confidentiality,” said Dr. Richard Frankenstein, president of the California Medical Assn.
Physicians object to a letter from Blue Cross seeking information that could lead to policy cancellations [Via Los Angeles Times]
From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...
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According to their website, Empire BlueCross BlueShield services over 5,000,000 in New York alone! The ramifications of this revelation are staggering. What will happen to these people, many who relied on their health coverage to provide for them? And will doctors follow the orders of the ones that pay their bills, or the ones that they service? This is a big moral dilemma, and I’m sure it will play out to be more dramatic in the coming months.
Very interesting entry. Thank you.