Is USA Today accusing doctors of defrauding Medicare?

Traditional paper news sources are having financial troubles.

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What appears to be an effort to combat declining readership some newspapers will print just about anything they believe to be popular, even when the article makes no sense factually.

The USA Today in a recent editorial suggests lawyers force doctor’s to practice defensive medicine. That couldn’t be further from the actual truth. Lawyers don’t practice medicine, only doctors are licensed to do so. When doctors aren’t sure of their diagnosis they continue to do what is right for the patient, and that may actually require additional testing. That has nothing to do with the lawyer, but with practicing good medicine.

Here is the irresponsible statement in the USA Editorial:

The liability system is too often a lottery. Excessive compensation is awarded to some patients and little or none to others. As much as 60% of awards are spent on attorneys, expert witnesses and administrative expenses.

I have only one thing to say to that: Horse hockey! Prove it. It's easy to spout off statistics without putting a face on the facts. Who are these doctors you accuse of fraudulent medical practices? If they exist then name them.

If doctors are being forced to over doctor patients then why did the Institute of Medicine find that 98,000 people each year die from preventable medical errors? Why is it that medical errors, the nation’s sixth leading cause of death, kill more people annually than auto accidents or guns? It’s isn’t lawyers forcing the medical profession to spend money the way they do. We aren’t sitting in the finance department.

What’s bothersome about this allegation is that it accuses the medical profession of ordering unnecessary medical tests then billing insurance companies, the States through Medicaid or the federal government's Medicare program in a fraudulent manner. That’s not fair to the medical profession and makes them appear to be a bunch of liars and cheats.

I know it’s difficult to sell newspapers today but that’s no excuse for practicing irresponsible journalism. If you want to sell newspapers then do some investigative journalism like these television news organizations.

Medicare Fraud Whistleblowers

Medicare fraud part one (of three)

Medicare fraud part two (of three)

Medicare fraud part three

In Iowa the Lombardi Law Firm handles whistleblower cases and defamation cases against irresponsible news organizations.