Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Agouron Pharmaceuticals (AGPH) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cherry grove who wrote (2833)	11/16/1997 1:12:00 PM
From: Oliver & Co	Respond to of 6136

When a doctor works for an HMO, he can only do what the HMO allows him to do. We are under strict utilization review guidelines. Something called economic credentialing has been taking place (doctors who spend too much are kicked out of the HMO0, this got so bad, that only about a year ago, congress passed some laws against economic credentialing. You have no idea what it is like for a doctor to say to a patient, I am sorry but your plan will not approve the test, or the treatment. Read this again: From Oncology Issues medscape.com; The Impact of Managed Care on Oncology Practice Authors: Lee E. Mortenson, D.P.A., Shelah Leader, Ph.D., Rajiv Mallick, Ph.D., Jamie Young, M.A., James L. Wade III, M.D. Summary Results from a 1996 survey of oncologists show that managed care is adversely affecting patients' access to care and practice costs. In general, oncologists report managed care policies affect their clinical decisions and lead them to hesitate to prescribe expensive forms of chemotherapy, hospitalize patients, provide bone marrow transplantation or terminal and follow-up care, or enroll patients on clinical trials. Oncologists also report they must add office staff to deal with the increased administrative hassles that come when working with managed care plans. [Oncology Issues 12(5): 22-27, 1997. Association of Community Cancer Centers]