On a moral compass, these two articles occupy opposite poles.
The former is a reflection of the privileges of being a physician, while the latter is an illustration of the abuse of such privileges. One is celebrated and the other is…prosecuted.
Excerpts from The privilege of caring: An open letter to medical students everywhere, by Barber Mueller, MD, FACS. Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, 2006.
“…you will enter an elite and fascinating world”
“Rarely is ignorance of medical knowledge considered misconduct.”
“As a member of the health profession, you will receive many privileges from a society that expects you to serve it with trust and confidence.”
“You will be judged more on how well you care than on how well you cure.”
“You will be permitted to enter the homes of strangers – their bedrooms and bathrooms – and to touch the unclothed and the unwashed.”
“However, accidents do happen, misadventures do occur, and patients do suffer or may even die from (your) misjudgments…”
“…the greatest penalty occurs when a physician loses the purpose in life that comes with helping others less fortunate.”
“It is not a business; it is a calling and a life of caring.”
“Keep your aspirations high, your vision clear, and your eyes on the stars. But, above all, keep the faith.”
Excerpts from Doctor Faces Suits Over Cardiac Stents, by Gardiner Harris. The New York Times, December 5, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/health/06stent.html
“…Dr. Mark Midei, had inserted 30 of (Abbot Laboratories’) cardiac stents in a single day.”
“Two days later, an Abbott sales representative spent $2,159 to buy a whole, slow-smoked pig, peach cobbler, and other fixings for a barbecue dinner at Dr. Midei’s home…”
“(Midei) had inserted stents in patients who did not need them, reaping high reimbursements…”
“’(Midei) may have implanted 585 stents which were medically unnecessary’ from 2007 to 2009. Medicare paid $3.8 million…for those procedures.”
“The Texas Medical Board last month accused a widely known cardiologist in Austin of inserting unnecessary stents…and last year a Louisiana doctor was sentenced to 10 years in prison for inserting unneeded stents.”
“ ‘Hospital patients expect their care to be based on medical need, not profits,’ said Senator Max Baucus…chairman of the Finance Committee.”
“When asked to review the cases himself, Dr. Midei found far less blockage than he had initially…The hospital suspended his privileges and eventually sent letters to all 585 patients. Hundreds of lawsuits against Dr. Midei followed.”
“Dr. Midei’s fall was as rapid as it was dramatic. In a June deposition for a lawsuit against him, he said: ‘I didn’t know what hit me. I was bewildered by what had happened.”
It’s worth mentioning that both of these articles caught my attention because of my dad’s influence. He sent the first article to me - and my brother - in our second year of medical school. It’s something I’ve held onto and that I re-read on occasion. And the last article? Well, given his opinion on the gross overuse of stents, it’s possible that, under pseudonym, he wrote this piece.
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