HSC 6656 Blog 6

Doctors withholding medical treatment information

Recently a study conducted by the American Medical Association’s Institute of Ethics revealed that 30 % of more than 700 doctors surveyed stated that they sometimes withhold medical information about treatment options from patients they believe will not be able to afford it (Stanculescu, 2012) . On the contrary to this survey, according to the AMA’s code of medical ethics, physicians have been obliged to assure the release of medically appropriate treatment alternatives, regardless of cost (Stanculescu, 2012). Some of the reasons doctors have begun withholding information from patients is from the fear of being asked to cheat insurance companies so that patients can receive care they are not eligible for. Another reason stems from those doctors whose revenue is tied to managed care companies. However, many doctors who participated in the survey stated that time constraints is the number one difficulty and reason for withholding medical information. Doctors are expected to explain difficult medical information to patient’s who often don’t have the time to comprehend (Stanculescu, 2012).

Although there are doctors who believe in censoring medical information based on a patients inability to pay, there are other medical professionals who believe that the act of withholding information is wrong. These professionals argue that doctors can be wrong about the medical coverage or the patient may have other resources which are unknown by the doctor. It is a known fact that many health insurance plans do not cover liver transplants, however thousands of transplants take place every year through private donations of organizations (Stanculescu, 2012). All in all, these medical professionals should not consider cost when prescribing treatment as finances is not an ethical issue, as patient care is.

I would have to agree that doctors should not withhold medical information from patients. The financial ability or inability to pay for treatment should not be a factor when prescribing treatment to the patient. It is up to the patient to provide the financial resources to pay for the treatment. Many doctors stated that they felt bad if they had to tell a patient about a treatment that they could not afford, however if I were in their shoes, I would rather tell the patient about the treatment and they have a chance to receive the help they need rather than withhold the information and never give them the chance at life.

Reference:

Stanculescu , C. (2012, July 08). Are doctors withholding treatment info?. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=116722&page=1