Why Do We Care About Doctor Self Referrals?
November 7, 2014
News Article
Why Do We Care About Doctor Self Referrals?
Also published in Forbes Thu. October 30, 2014.
Let’s say a doctor refers a patient for an MRI scan to a clinic he has a financial interest in. Or sends a patient for a series of tests to a lab he owns. Should we care about any of this? We probably wouldn’t if patients paid for their own care with their own money. But when insurance pays the bills, the medical marketplace becomes like an arms race—with providers and payers constantly battling over what will be covered and will be paid.
