Self-Referral Medical Centers

Essay # 64856

Business > Industries
Medical and Health > Public Health Issues

This paper discusses the ethicacy of self-referral medical centers, physician-owned medical centers (mostly surgical), to which the owner-physician refer their own patients.

1,845 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the political debate surrounding the challenge to the integrated healthcare system Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) health plan in Utah, whose vision is to provide the best clinical practice possible at the lowest appropriate cost, referring their patients to be treated at an IHC affiliated facility. The author points out the question regarding self-referral medical centers is that, if they can in turn refer their patients to their own surgical center, will they be more likely to want to do procedures that they would not normally find themselves doing if they had to do them across the street at the hospital? The paper stresses that, regardless of the main objective, healthcare providers should be trying to provide the best clinical practices at the lowest appropriate cost to the patient or their health insurance company.

From the Paper:

"A bad example can be found right here in the Las Vegas valley pertaining to the University Medical Center quick care centers. These are urgent care centers that provide minor to moderate medical care and will transfer patients that are in need of emergent healthcare. If you are seen as a patient at one of these urgent care centers for chest pain and need to go to a hospital for further treatment, you will be transported to the UMC hospital down town. The question arises now in the valley as to whether or not your health insurance carrier will pay for your treatment at UMC. If they will not then you will be transferred from UMC to an appropriate hospital for further treatment. Is this a model of the best clinical practice, or a way for UMC to pad their wallets?"