Power to the Patient
Following Brian Williams' Nightly News broadcast on the subject, Betsy has introduced a most important element into the blog discussion of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This is the topic of physician (oncologist) reimbursement.
The basic fact is that medical oncologists get paid profitably for administering cancer medications in their offices or owned facilities. As suggested in the Nightly News segment, the exigent question that must be addressed is whether this payment practice affects their recommendations to patients who seek advice on lymphoma treatment.
As a patient. I am distressed to have spoken with so many patients who have received, over and over again, courses of CHOP chemotherapy or serial rituxan infusions WITHOUT EVER HAVING HAD A CONSULTATION WITH A PHYSICIAN WHO IS EXPERIENCED IN RADIOIMMUNOTHERAPY (RIT). Could this fact be related to the fact that the medical oncologist is not compensated for RIT administration?
The holy grail in medicine today is "evidence-based medicine", namely, medical decisions made upon objective data. From what I have been told by oncologists, there is considerable data on the efficacy of RIT; data that enables the oncologist to advisedly recommend RIT to lymphoma patients.
Poliitcal revolutionaries speak of "power to the people".
Mort Diamond speaks of "power to the patient". Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients should not ask, should not request---they should DEMAND a consultatlion with a physician experienced in radioimmunotherapy (radiation oncologist or nuclear medicine physician).
Mort