ELECTIVE SURGERY: Online Bidding for Patients Raises Ethical Concerns
There's a new battle front in the lucrative and highly competitive world of elective surgery: online bidding by surgeons for patients' business. The first online service in California to connect patients with the surgeon of their choice has just hung out its cyber-shingle, touting itself as a place for consumers to compare physician quality and price to get top value for their health care dollar. The service already has attracted hundreds of patients, as well as the ire of physician organizations, who decry the practice as unethical and possibly illegal. California Healthline's Stephen Robitaille takes a look at the brave new world of these bidding wars.
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California Healthline Features is a regular Monday column in California Healthline. Columnists Jeff Stryker and Stephen Robitaille take readers behind the headlines, with in-depth articles, guest editorials and interviews with California newsmakers. Click here for more on the column.
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The views represented in this column are those of the columnist or guest editorialist and not of California Healthline or the National Journal Group.