10 findings on where physicians stand on dating patients, upcoding conditions and more

Ethical dilemmas are not an entirely uncommon occurrence for physicians when it comes to dealing with insurance companies, prescribing placebos and engaging with patients, according to the Medscape Ethics Report 2014, Part 2: Money, Romance and Patients that surveyed more than 17,000 American physicians.

Highlighted below are some findings from the survey.

  • When asked if physicians would ever upcode or overstate a patient's condition to get treatment covered, 25 percent of respondents said they would, 66 percent said they would not and 9 percent said it depends.
  • The percentage of physicians who said they would upcode conditions for their patients increased from 17 percent in 2010 to 25 percent in 2014.
  • When asked if physicians would prescribe a placebo or innocuous treatment that isn't necessary but the patient demands it, 42 percent of respondents said they would, up from 24 percent in 2010. Roughly 37 percent of respondents said they would not and 21 percent said it depends.
  • When asked if patients who engage in unhealthy behavior such as smoking and refusing to diet should pay more for health insurance, 69 percent of physicians said yes.
  • When asked if it is ever acceptable to become romantically or sexually involved with a patient, 68 percent said no, down from 83 percent in 2010. Approximately 22 percent said it is acceptable after at least 6 months to a year has passed since the individual was a patient and 1 percent said yes even if the individual is a current patient. Ten percent said it depends
  • Although a majority of respondents are against physician-patient relationships, the percentage who said it is unacceptable decreases as physicians get older. For instance, 70 percent of physicians ages 28-34 said it is unacceptable while only 59 percent of physicians 70 years or older felt the same way.
  • When asked if it is ever acceptable to cover up or avoid reporting a mistake if it would not harm a patient, 60 percent of respondents said no, 19 percent said yes and 22 percent said it depends.
  • Despite being put at risk for a malpractice suit, 91 percent of respondents said it is not acceptable to cover up or avoid reporting a mistake if it would harm a patient.
  • When asked if physicians would ever perform a procedure that would not be medically necessary but would generate income, 91 percent said they would not, 3 percent said they would and 15 percent said it depends.
  • When asked if physicians ever suspected domestic abuse of a patient but not reported or investigated it further, 89 percent said they had and 11 percent said they had not.

For more findings, click here.

 

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