Defensive Medicine And Its Impact On Health Care - 1657 Words

In modern practices, doctors are turning more and more towards defensive medicine. Defensive medicine is defined as the act of referring patients to other doctors or running more tests than medically necessary in order to avoid malpractice lawsuits. Defensive medicine leads to increases in patient health care costs, a decrease in patient wellbeing, an inefficient use of doctors and patients time, and may impact physicians’ well-being. This practice may also not be the best solution to protect both the physicians’ reputation and the patients’ health. Defensive Medicine is believed to attribute to the overall increase in America’s health care costs. For instance, in May 2011 two surveys conducted by Jackson Healthcare and Gallup polling indicated that defensive medicine costs the U.S. $650 billion to $850 billion annually. Another poll taken in December 2010 cited the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimating that by reducing defensive medicine, the yearly savings could jump from $54 billion to $650 billion. Medicare and Medicaid are cited at paying up to $221 billion annually for unnecessary tests and procedures such as CT scans after uncomplicated fainting episodes, antibiotics for routine sinusitis, and osteoporosis screenings for women younger than 65 years. One enormous example of how defensive medicine impacts many lives is the rate at which Cesarean section births are performed, especially in order to prevent shoulder dystocia, (the malpractice settlementsShow MoreRelatedDefensive Medicine1354 Words   |  6 PagesDefensive Medicine Is It Costing Our Heath Care? Teresa Botts Baptist College of Health Sciences 1. Abstract Our Nation is currently engaged in a debate about the future of health care in America. Health care reform has several platforms to be addressed in order for it to be successfully implemented. Tort reform, being one of those platforms, is proposed as one solution to the rapidly increasing health care cost in the United States. Careful reformRead MoreReform Malpractice Laws to Create True Healthcare Reform Introduction1610 Words   |  7 Pagesand seeing the doctor as the sole reason for any injured state. This division between doctor and patient has led to a practice called defensive medicine and it has also created a healthcare system riddled with inefficiency and in need of an overhaul. There is talk of healthcare reform and how it is important to control costs to the patient through lower health insurance premiums and limits on how much a hospital should charge for services. 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Across sat a teary mother, an angry father, and a defensive fifteen-year-old boy as they discussed the impact of the teenager’s marijuana use and multiple misdemeanors. As obvious as it would seem to receive professional care in any type of similar situation, that was not always the case for my own family. It took my parents ten years of dealing with my brother’s addiction and depression before they wereRead MoreThe Provision Of Cost Effective Care 1382 Words   |  6 PagesThe provision of cost effective care is an integral component in the decision-making process for the nurse practitioner. This process includes the ability to take into consideration the patient’s beliefs and desired outcomes, analyze evidence-based treatment options, and costs of various options, in the development of a treatment plan that meets the desired health outcome. It is a valuable quality of the nurse practitioner to establish a working relationship with the patient, provide current informationRead MoreEssay about U.S. Health Care system2711 Words   |  11 Pages Running head: U.S. Health 1 U.S. Healthcare System HCA 497 Health Care Studies Capstone Instructor: Jennine Kinsey September 9, 2013 U.S. Healthcare 2 U.S. Healthcare System Many people believe that the current of health care in the United States isRead MoreMedical Malpractice and Tort Systems Essay1109 Words   |  5 PagesHealth care organizations, particularly hospitals, currently face numerous legal issues, several of which will be examined in this paper. The first issue to be examined is medical malpractice and the tort system. The medical malpractice and tort system makes up one of the major legal issues encountered by hospitals and health systems. 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