A few weeks before writing this, two device salesmen came unannounced to our small private gastroenterology practice. They were hawking a product that could quickly and non-invasively determine how much scar tissue had formed in a patient’s liver, a useful tool for assessing patients with hepatitis and many other liver conditions. We are physicians, not entrepreneurs. We do not regard the colonoscope as a capitalist tool. Yet, these two salesmen were barraging us with facts and figures on how much money we could make off their product. They knew the insurance reimbursement rates and could quickly calculate our practice’s return on investment depending upon our projected volume. They recognized that the cost of their device would be beyond our reach and offered to sell us a ‘refurbished’ product at a huge discount. Liver Sales Reps Ignored the Liver! For a host of reasons, we were not interested in acquiring the device, which we could not afford. Here’s what was
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.