Stents are major money-makers for hospitals.In the past fiscal year, stents brought in $222 million in business to Maryland hospitals alone, roughly $10,000 or more per procedure, according to numbers cited by a probe carried out by the Baltimore Sun.
Apparently there is a significant of unnesesary invasive heart procedures being carried out by cardiologists with loose to non-existant oversight by hospitals.
The Midei probe is just the latest in a series of cases investigating cardiologists found to be performing more procedures than medically warranted. Last year, Louisiana cardiologist Dr Mehmod Patel was given a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted on 51 counts of billing private and government health insurers for unnecessary medical procedures, as reported by heartwire . He is appealing his sentence.
In perhaps the most celebrated cardiology case in recent memory, Drs Chae Moon and Fidel Realyvasquez of Redding Medical Center, CA were convicted for as many as 50% of the procedures conducted by the two physicians (diagnostic catheterization, angioplasty, and CABG procedures) that may not have been medically necessary. The case against the physicians was ultimately settled out of court for over $50 million.
*************************************************************************************Bill's Comments
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Just more proof that medicine is a BUSINESS!
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