A warning EVERY cancer patient needs to hear
The very best con man might not fit your idea of what a con man looks and acts like.
For instance, some con men wear stethoscopes around their necks.
I'm not talking about doctors in general, I'm talking about a certain type of oncologist who knows how to work the system, tell his patients what they want to hear, and turn a nice profit.
If you or someone you know or love has cancer (and unfortunately, that covers just about all of us), you have to be on the lookout for one of the cruelest and most disturbing con jobs in medicine.
Drugged and duped
It starts with a practice known as "chemotherapy concession." We'll call it "Chemo Con."
Here's how it works...
An oncologist purchases chemotherapy drugs directly from drug companies, then bills the patient's insurer.
But there's a little wrinkle here that patients never hear about: Oncologists typically get a deep discount off the "sticker" price of the drugs. Then they bill insurers for the sticker price, which is sometimes more than 20 percent higher than the amount paid by the doctor.
Believe it or not, that's not the con. In fact, this practice is completely legal and considered a "concession" to offset oncologists' overhead costs. The con occurs when an oncologist uses a chemo drug that he knows will not be effective, or administers it to a patient he knows will get no benefit.
And as awful as that sounds, it happens. A LOT.
A few years ago, a researcher (who happened to be a practicing oncologist) examined the medical records of almost 8,000 cancer patients. He found that in cases where chemo was given in the final six months of life, ONE-THIRD of the patients had cancers that are known to be unresponsive to chemotherapy.
In other words, thousands of cancer patients and their families were duped, while chemo concessions were harvested.
But hold onto your hats. It gets even worse...
Supreme sacrifice
In 2005, the Medicare Modernization Act curbed chemo concession claims. Under the new plan, Medicare reimburses no more than 6 percent over the average amount doctors pay for any individual chemo drug. (Note that this act has no effect at all on billing of patients who are not covered by Medicare.)
At first, experts were concerned that the act would result in less care for cancer patients who relied on Medicare. I guess the thinking was that such a measly payout wouldn't be enough to inspire oncologists to even show up and do their job.
But those experts didn't imagine how creative some oncologists can be.
After the new rules took effect, the total number of Medicare claims for chemo treatments given within one month of diagnosis didn't drop. In fact, they sharply increased. In addition, the use of less expensive chemo drugs declined, while the use of more expensive drugs increased.
Crank up the chemo mill and keep those coffers full!
But those profits come with a sacrifice--a sacrifice by patients, that is.
In a 2008 review of about 600 cases in which cancer patients died within 30 days of receiving chemo, 40 percent experienced "significant poisoning" from their treatment, and about one-in-four deaths were accelerated or actually caused by the treatment.
Every cancer patient and their family needs to be aware of this Chemo Con. So if you're ever diagnosed with cancer, try to find a doctor who's a caregiver, not a businessman.
And if a doctor prescribes chemo--especially in the very late stages--it's time to start asking as many questions as possible to make sure the con isn't on.
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Jenny Thompson is the Director of the Health Sciences Institute and editor of the HSI e-Alert. Through HSI, she and her team uncover important health information and expose ridiculous health misinformation, most notably through the HSI e-Alert.
Visit www.hsionline.com to sign up for the free HSI e-Alert.
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Comments
eleanor
I saw this first hand when my brother was given 3 months to live with pancreatic cancer. He was given avastin, gemcibib (sp?) even though it affected his heart, and all of his organs. The last dosages finished off all his organs. God forgive those greedy buggers. Also where is the compassion when they told him he would be dead in three months and he lived 3 years.
Rett
Doctors are not taught compassion anymore much less how to be a good doctor. Ever since I had a mild heart attack in late 2001 all they wanted to do was to prescribe the drugs for whatever my health issues were. Forget that. I chose an alternative, nutritional approach and I feel great most of the time. And when I don't do the right things for my body, I feel it right off the bat. Food is our medicine and medicine is our food. I have a friend at church who is going through radiation therapy and it doesn't matter what I know, he will do what his doctor says. Sad. Another man in our same group did the radiation and he seems to be fine so maybe my other friend will be fine, too. And then there is the mother in Massachuettes who is on trial for the murder of her nine year old son because she stopped giving him the chemo prescribed by his doctor.
Lori
Over and above the "con" described in the article, the western perception of cancer is that it's a disease to be "managed". We all pretty much know that many, if not most, of the folks that undergo chemo will eventually die from their disease, if the chemo doesn't cause death prematurely. I do nutrition education with cancer patients, and my experience has been that oncologists tell their patients they have no other options. When a patient shows interest in an alternative approach, he/she is often scared by the doctors attitude and is afraid to look elsewhere. And "managing" disease is much more profitable, obviously, than curing. I have even given valid medical literature to patients ( the role of D3 and K2 in cancer prevention and treatment, for example), but the oncologists refuse to read it. It's unconscionable what western medicine is doing. Medicare has now approved the use of a drug that cost $93,000 to extend the life of a prostate cancer patient for 3 months. Oh please... And if you read that cancer deaths are declining, don't believe it. Many chemo patients die of "liver failure", not the cancer they're treated for, so they're not included in the statistics. My friend's sister, who was treated for years for metastatic breast cancer, died of "anorexia" (actually on her death certificate) because her drugs killed her appetite. I just don't believe our sick-care system can sustain itself ethically, morally, or financially...
Anonymous
American ingenuity has come as far as being selfishly, heartless, unscrupulous, degrading, no self respect, un-American, greedy, how can this people feed on someone else misery, I will answer my own question, when they go to the bank in their brand new car, and open the door of their mansion, when they zip on a good wine, and they realize that to have all of this there is no need for ethics, these unscrupulous so called professionals leave all of the good ethics to a few Drs who care about their patients, yes there are a few but these old dinosaurs are becoming extinct and may heaven help the next generation of patients. JAM
Marianne Matson
Jenny, I need your help, my husband just finished Chemo and has to have a transplant, In a month.. He was diagnoised with multiple myeloma... Please tell me what we can do??? He is 59 years old and the love of my life !!!! I'm 56 & a brittle diabetic which he has saved my life literally in the past couple of months & now I'm trying to save his !!! Please I need your advice???? THANK YOU I HOPE YOU ARE ONE OF THE ANGLES WATCHING OVER US !!!!!
Jenny Thompson
Marianne,
I am so sorry for your situation. I know how difficult that must be. While we can't give any personal medical advice, we do have resources you can refer to. If you have the October issue of HSI, there is an article that may be valuable.
All the best,
Jenny
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