The New York Times reports on a trend of urologists purchasing I.M.R.T. radiation therapy equipment, and suggests that the expanded use may due to the fact that doctors can make much higher profit using this technology than doing surgery. I.M.R.T.stands for intensity modulated radiation therapy. The Times reports, “Critics see a potential conflict of interest on the part of urologists, the specialists who typically help prostate patients choose a course of treatment. The critics say that urologists who can profit from the new form of therapy may be less likely to recommend other proven approaches, which for some older men can involve forgoing treatment altogether. …But because there is little research directly comparing I.M.R.T. with the other treatments, there is little consensus among urologists about which approach is best. … The one certainty about I.M.R.T. is that for doctors who own the technology, it can be much more lucrative than alternative treatments. Medicare and other insurers typically pay urologists only $2,000 or less for performing surgery to remove the prostate or for implanting radioactive seeds. The insurers say the much higher I.M.R.T. payments, which in some cases exceed $50,000, are based on the technology’s cost.�
Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear the “shared decision-making� discussion between physician and patient when IMRT is brought up as the recommended treatment option?
Posted by schwitz at December 4, 2006 07:30 AM | TrackBack