By now you know about my personal experience at Downing McPeak vision center in Kentucky.
I have posted about various doctors being caught performing unnecessary surgeries, in fact, statistics show that cataract surgery is one of the top surgeries performed unnecessarily.
I have written about doctors who cheat and scam the insurance companies, steal from Medicare, to chase those bucks that give them the luxuries they crave.
I have shown you where doctors will settle cases out of court , with the signed agreements that it never be disclosed, so even if you search to find out how many times they have been sued, you will never find the true amount of times.
I have personally seen , sloppiness, uncleanliness, lying, and every trick in the book to fool people into surgeries they should not have, and without the information given to them that they should have, I have seen doctors who are supposed to be upstanding citizens , who supposedly do charity work, go to other countries to " help " ( of course lots of that are free vacations with many tax write offs and some pay )
All of the above and more trickery than you can imagine, has lined the doctors pockets, left people with worse health, and left our health care system in shambles.
Hopefully this administration will finally put through health care for all people, and along with that hopefully , some oversight that will protect us from those doctors who care more about their wallets and less about your health, but in the end, it is up to the individual to protect themselves, don't blindly trust your doctor, research, research , research, then get second opinion, take someone with you that will have a clear head and listen, tape record your visit and listen to it later.
And,,,,, REPORT those doctors who cheat, steal and lie.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Cystoid Macular Edema, The Help I Didn't Get
To recap , my situation was that Dr Porter told me I had to have cataract surgery, I in turn asked him if he had experience with RP and if there were any problems with having the surgery with RP, he told me he had RP patients ( now I know that is doubtful ) and told me there were never any complications ( now I know that RP patients are high risk ) So I thought I had no choice and I had the surgery, the vision in my " good " eye went from 20/40 to 20/100 plus. The head of Downing Mcpeak Vision Center , Dr Downing then asked that I come in and let him see if he could " fix " my vision, ( he fixed it alright, he talked me into another procedure that caused even more of the CME )
After Downing telling me he would help me and didn't, I have now found out that he could have, there were several things that he could have done, evidently they were more interested in covering their , you know whats . I posted once about how he could have done an implant called Retisert, ( Guess he would rather have left me blind than to have put out the money for that since it would have been about 50,000) I have also now found out that for people who do not respond to the steroid and nsaid drops , system steroids are helpful, of course I wasn't offered that either which should not be that expensive, guess my eyesight to them also isn't worth a few bucks. Several things that could have been done, including repositioning or replacing the IOL, which needed to be done anyway since the wrong powered lens was implanted into my eye by Dr Porter.
On top of being upset that I am still losing vision because of the dastardly deeds, I am also disappointed in the inhumanity of people who are supposed to be in the profession of helping people and yet only seem to be helping themselves!!
That is why we, as a society, must all work together to stop these greedy, uncaring and reckless doctors! We can start by reporting bad doctors to state medical boards, we can write our representatives and demand better health care, and we can make sure they are not cheating the insurance and medicare systems like so many of them seem to be, report them when you know they are billing for services not done, or upcoding , or performing unwarranted procedures etc, you can do this directly, or you can do it by filing a Qui Tam suit with a lawyer, if you file a Qui Tam suit , you will be entitled to a percentage of those fraudulently acquired funds, often large amounts, and be a patriotic hero!!
After Downing telling me he would help me and didn't, I have now found out that he could have, there were several things that he could have done, evidently they were more interested in covering their , you know whats . I posted once about how he could have done an implant called Retisert, ( Guess he would rather have left me blind than to have put out the money for that since it would have been about 50,000) I have also now found out that for people who do not respond to the steroid and nsaid drops , system steroids are helpful, of course I wasn't offered that either which should not be that expensive, guess my eyesight to them also isn't worth a few bucks. Several things that could have been done, including repositioning or replacing the IOL, which needed to be done anyway since the wrong powered lens was implanted into my eye by Dr Porter.
On top of being upset that I am still losing vision because of the dastardly deeds, I am also disappointed in the inhumanity of people who are supposed to be in the profession of helping people and yet only seem to be helping themselves!!
That is why we, as a society, must all work together to stop these greedy, uncaring and reckless doctors! We can start by reporting bad doctors to state medical boards, we can write our representatives and demand better health care, and we can make sure they are not cheating the insurance and medicare systems like so many of them seem to be, report them when you know they are billing for services not done, or upcoding , or performing unwarranted procedures etc, you can do this directly, or you can do it by filing a Qui Tam suit with a lawyer, if you file a Qui Tam suit , you will be entitled to a percentage of those fraudulently acquired funds, often large amounts, and be a patriotic hero!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
How Many Times Has Your Eye Doctor Been Sued?
I had already written about Downing McPeak Eye Center being familiar with the court system , as it seems that they have been spending much time in court. Of course we also know that most of the time people don't bring lawsuits, or , lawyers don't take lawsuits because it is so expensive to get justice against corrupt doctors in court, and then there are the many many times that doctors settle out of court, sealed records and part of the settlement includes agreements that the offended party may not disclose anything, so most often people do not know what their eye doctors have been up to.
Don't expect that the Medical Board of your state is going to keep an eye on these guys, after all , it is like having the fox watch the hen house.
Take the case of an ophthalmologist in Chicago, he had 50 malpractice suits against him, finally the authorities looked into it and of course found that he was indeed a very bad doctor, too bad about those people who were harmed by him before something was finally done. If 50 suits were filed against him, you can bet that he messed up many more people than that.
We need to start demanding more open records in the medical field, no more secret settlements , Its hard enough to determine who is the good guys from the bad when we have doctors who are lying to us in order to perform surgeries and line their pockets, at least if the settlements were out in the open , some people would be warned and therefor their health/vision saved.
If our officials were to demand that ALL settlements be reported, and that state medical boards be required to post all filed lawsuits, then maybe some people wouldn't have to go through what I have, losing your vision because of doctors who just care about lining their pockets at the expense of someone being blind the rest of their lives is not health care, it is health fraud.
Don't expect that the Medical Board of your state is going to keep an eye on these guys, after all , it is like having the fox watch the hen house.
Take the case of an ophthalmologist in Chicago, he had 50 malpractice suits against him, finally the authorities looked into it and of course found that he was indeed a very bad doctor, too bad about those people who were harmed by him before something was finally done. If 50 suits were filed against him, you can bet that he messed up many more people than that.
We need to start demanding more open records in the medical field, no more secret settlements , Its hard enough to determine who is the good guys from the bad when we have doctors who are lying to us in order to perform surgeries and line their pockets, at least if the settlements were out in the open , some people would be warned and therefor their health/vision saved.
If our officials were to demand that ALL settlements be reported, and that state medical boards be required to post all filed lawsuits, then maybe some people wouldn't have to go through what I have, losing your vision because of doctors who just care about lining their pockets at the expense of someone being blind the rest of their lives is not health care, it is health fraud.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
secondary cataract, " after cataract " and yag laser
Someone asked me the other day about having a " after cataract " which is after you have cataract surgery and many months , even years later , a clouding of the lens can occur and the surgeon will use a yag laser to basically puncture a hole in it and the cloudiness clears up.
This of course, along with many, many other things was never explained to me. After Dr Porter at Downing McPeak performed the cataract surgery on me, it was only a couple of weeks until he was claiming that I had " scarring " and he needed to perform a laser procedure. Of course at that point I had figure out that he had messed up my vision and I would not have allowed him to do anything else, well,, when head honcho, Dr Downing asked me to let him see if he could examine me and see if he could do something to restore my vision , the first visit I asked him whether I had scarring, he said no. After a couple of more visits, he then claimed that I had scarring and he needed to perform yag laser procedure , I reminded him that he had said I had no scarring and he said, well, I didn't have " much " before,, being desperate for help, I believed him and let him do the laser procedure for " scarring " Nobody ever used the correct wording for the procedure, had I been told the correct word for it, I would never have allowed Dr Downing to do that, since it would be highly unlikely to have an after cataract so soon, I would have gotten a second opinion. I only saw the correct name on the papers after I requested my records, to this day, I do not believe that I had an " after cataract " and I believe that the procedure was done on me to make sure that I would never be able to prove that Dr Porter was trying to get me to agree to yet another procedure, surgery, that was not needed, this procedure put me at even more risk to lose more of my vision.
Seriously people, record your doctors visits, then get the records of the visits, and seriously think about getting second opinions for procedures, also ,,, RESEARCH your condition and RESEARCH the procedures that these kinds of doctors want to perform on you, it is too late after you have lost your vision.
This of course, along with many, many other things was never explained to me. After Dr Porter at Downing McPeak performed the cataract surgery on me, it was only a couple of weeks until he was claiming that I had " scarring " and he needed to perform a laser procedure. Of course at that point I had figure out that he had messed up my vision and I would not have allowed him to do anything else, well,, when head honcho, Dr Downing asked me to let him see if he could examine me and see if he could do something to restore my vision , the first visit I asked him whether I had scarring, he said no. After a couple of more visits, he then claimed that I had scarring and he needed to perform yag laser procedure , I reminded him that he had said I had no scarring and he said, well, I didn't have " much " before,, being desperate for help, I believed him and let him do the laser procedure for " scarring " Nobody ever used the correct wording for the procedure, had I been told the correct word for it, I would never have allowed Dr Downing to do that, since it would be highly unlikely to have an after cataract so soon, I would have gotten a second opinion. I only saw the correct name on the papers after I requested my records, to this day, I do not believe that I had an " after cataract " and I believe that the procedure was done on me to make sure that I would never be able to prove that Dr Porter was trying to get me to agree to yet another procedure, surgery, that was not needed, this procedure put me at even more risk to lose more of my vision.
Seriously people, record your doctors visits, then get the records of the visits, and seriously think about getting second opinions for procedures, also ,,, RESEARCH your condition and RESEARCH the procedures that these kinds of doctors want to perform on you, it is too late after you have lost your vision.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Glasses that could expand vision in Retinitis Pigmentosa?
They are doing a study on glasses that could make patients see farther to the sides, so far this study is not including RP patients even though they think that it may help them also.
Years ago, a Dr Briewa ( very good eye doc ) had told me of glasses with prisms in them , and there are some on the market, I haven't heard from anyone who has actually tried them, if anyone out there has tried them , please email, comment , etc,, I will add to this post as I get more information,, here are some of the links and information that I have gotten so far -----------------------------------------------------------------------
CPF Corning lenses for Retinitis Pigmentosa
http://www.chadwickoptical.com/hemianopia.htm
The May 2008 issue of the Archives of Opthalmology reported the findings of the 2004-2005 clinical trial testing these mobility aids; the "EP"-Horizontal, or the Peli Lens™. Entitled "Community-Based Trial of a Peripheral Prism Visual Field Expansion Device for Hemianopia," the findings reported 74% of subjects continued to wear the aids at the end of the study, and 47% were still wearing them at the 12 month follow-up
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830075522.htm
Years ago, a Dr Briewa ( very good eye doc ) had told me of glasses with prisms in them , and there are some on the market, I haven't heard from anyone who has actually tried them, if anyone out there has tried them , please email, comment , etc,, I will add to this post as I get more information,, here are some of the links and information that I have gotten so far -----------------------------------------------------------------------
CPF Corning lenses for Retinitis Pigmentosa
http://www.chadwickoptical.com/hemianopia.htm
The May 2008 issue of the Archives of Opthalmology reported the findings of the 2004-2005 clinical trial testing these mobility aids; the "EP"-Horizontal, or the Peli Lens™. Entitled "Community-Based Trial of a Peripheral Prism Visual Field Expansion Device for Hemianopia," the findings reported 74% of subjects continued to wear the aids at the end of the study, and 47% were still wearing them at the 12 month follow-up
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830075522.htm
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dr. Downing and Dr Porter Could have helped me!!!!
After having been pushed into surgery by Dr Porter and developing CME with the outcome of having lost much of my sight in my right eye, and then Dr Downing asking me to see him and let him " fix " it, only to have him make it worse even still. Now I find out that they could have helped me!!!!
There is a Retisert implant that could have helped at least some of the major problem,, so why didn't Downing follow through on his promise to help fix Porters destruction to my sight?? Again, I think it came down to money,, see the implant is expensive, so guess they would rather sweep my problem, their mistake, under the rug than to have to take the hit of a few thousand bucks,,, yep, after all, they only knock down over 35 million a year in that firm, guess a couple of thousand was too much to have put out to fix their destruction, better that I go through the rest of my life with little vision.
They didn't even have the decency to tell me that there was something out there that could help me!!!!
I get it that Dr Porter didn't want to admit that he knew little about my original condition and just wanted to push me through the surgery mill to add to his Christmas fund, and even understand that Dr Downing only wanted to try to cover for Dr Porters mistakes, but it truly is indecent to not even have told me about this that could help restore some of my sight.
I truly do not see how they sleep at night, I guess being in denial of your mistakes is a blessing for them but I believe that after they leave this world they will have to account for the things they have done.----------------------------- Added 7/11/09-----
Because of comments left by someone who doesn't know much about retisert I thought I would add the following information from the journal ophthamology management
" "I believe that with its unique drug-delivery technology, Retisert will offer an efficacious treatment for this chronic, severe blinding disease," said Glenn J. Jaffe, M.D., professor of Ophthalmology and director of the Uveitis Service at Duke University Eye Center.
"FDA approval of Retisert represents a significant milestone in Bausch & Lomb's pursuit of new therapies and technologies to treat posterior segment diseases," said Gary M. Phillips, M.D., B & L corporate vice president, Global Pharmaceuticals and Vitreoretinal.
FDA approval of the drug was based on 34-week results from two 3-year, randomized, double-masked, multicenter clinical studies demonstrating that in eyes with Retisert there was:
► a significant decrease in the recurrence of uveitis from approximately 40% to 54% for the 34-week period pre-implantation to approximately 7% to 14% for the 34-week period post-implantation
► a significant decrease in the use of adjunctive therapy, including systemic corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive therapy, from approximately 47% to 63% at the time of implantation to approximately 5% to 10% at 34 weeks post-implantation, and for patients needing periocular corticosteroid injections from approximately 50% to 65% for the 34-week period pre-implantation to approximately 3% to 6% for the 34-week period post-implantation
► statistically significant improvement of 3 or more lines of visual acuity in approximately 19% to 21% of study eyes at 34 weeks post-implantation.
The most common adverse events attributed to Retisert, which were anticipated given the nature of the disease and the type of drug used, include cataract progression, which is managed by standard cataract surgery; increased intraocular pressure, which is managed with the use of IOP-lowering eye drops or filtering surgery; and procedural complications and eye pain. "
The person who commented and tries very hard to make excuses for Dr Downing and Dr Porter's actions, though very loyal, is mistaken on the complications of the retisert implant, and obviously knows and has read very little of this blog , or would realize that the testing I have gone through, the corticosteroids etc are not very good for a person either, the next step was going to be injections in the eye, this is very painful has to be repeated often and DOES bring risks of infections etc, this implant is much less risk, less pain, and better results, although, the person may know something about the cleanliness of Downing McPeaks offices, so maybe they are right about infection if the person had the implant done there, I'll give them leeway on that, but if done in a correct environment, shouldn't be a problem.
There is a Retisert implant that could have helped at least some of the major problem,, so why didn't Downing follow through on his promise to help fix Porters destruction to my sight?? Again, I think it came down to money,, see the implant is expensive, so guess they would rather sweep my problem, their mistake, under the rug than to have to take the hit of a few thousand bucks,,, yep, after all, they only knock down over 35 million a year in that firm, guess a couple of thousand was too much to have put out to fix their destruction, better that I go through the rest of my life with little vision.
They didn't even have the decency to tell me that there was something out there that could help me!!!!
I get it that Dr Porter didn't want to admit that he knew little about my original condition and just wanted to push me through the surgery mill to add to his Christmas fund, and even understand that Dr Downing only wanted to try to cover for Dr Porters mistakes, but it truly is indecent to not even have told me about this that could help restore some of my sight.
I truly do not see how they sleep at night, I guess being in denial of your mistakes is a blessing for them but I believe that after they leave this world they will have to account for the things they have done.----------------------------- Added 7/11/09-----
Because of comments left by someone who doesn't know much about retisert I thought I would add the following information from the journal ophthamology management
" "I believe that with its unique drug-delivery technology, Retisert will offer an efficacious treatment for this chronic, severe blinding disease," said Glenn J. Jaffe, M.D., professor of Ophthalmology and director of the Uveitis Service at Duke University Eye Center.
"FDA approval of Retisert represents a significant milestone in Bausch & Lomb's pursuit of new therapies and technologies to treat posterior segment diseases," said Gary M. Phillips, M.D., B & L corporate vice president, Global Pharmaceuticals and Vitreoretinal.
FDA approval of the drug was based on 34-week results from two 3-year, randomized, double-masked, multicenter clinical studies demonstrating that in eyes with Retisert there was:
► a significant decrease in the recurrence of uveitis from approximately 40% to 54% for the 34-week period pre-implantation to approximately 7% to 14% for the 34-week period post-implantation
► a significant decrease in the use of adjunctive therapy, including systemic corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive therapy, from approximately 47% to 63% at the time of implantation to approximately 5% to 10% at 34 weeks post-implantation, and for patients needing periocular corticosteroid injections from approximately 50% to 65% for the 34-week period pre-implantation to approximately 3% to 6% for the 34-week period post-implantation
► statistically significant improvement of 3 or more lines of visual acuity in approximately 19% to 21% of study eyes at 34 weeks post-implantation.
The most common adverse events attributed to Retisert, which were anticipated given the nature of the disease and the type of drug used, include cataract progression, which is managed by standard cataract surgery; increased intraocular pressure, which is managed with the use of IOP-lowering eye drops or filtering surgery; and procedural complications and eye pain. "
The person who commented and tries very hard to make excuses for Dr Downing and Dr Porter's actions, though very loyal, is mistaken on the complications of the retisert implant, and obviously knows and has read very little of this blog , or would realize that the testing I have gone through, the corticosteroids etc are not very good for a person either, the next step was going to be injections in the eye, this is very painful has to be repeated often and DOES bring risks of infections etc, this implant is much less risk, less pain, and better results, although, the person may know something about the cleanliness of Downing McPeaks offices, so maybe they are right about infection if the person had the implant done there, I'll give them leeway on that, but if done in a correct environment, shouldn't be a problem.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
R. I. P. Michael Jackson
It cannot be denied that Michael Jackson was THE talent of our lifetime.
With all the controversy, some deserved I am sure and much not deserved, this generation has lost the most talented man we have ever seen, and I was never a huge huge fan, but nobody could see the videos, hear the music and not appreciate the talent , hard work and dedication that went into his work. I can hope that the press will cut him some slack now that he is gone, accusations that were never proven, eccentricities that were maybe well earned and tragedy that should have made one empathetic not made fun of.
That said, there are way too many talented performers, actors and celebrities who leave this earth too soon because of uncaring, greedy doctors who are out there prescribing what they know is too much, too often, Anna Nicole Smith, Elvis, Ledger, now Michael, there is no excuse for these doctors. While I was lucky in comparison, the harm caused me when I went to Dr Downing and Dr Porter " only " caused harm to my eyes, all these doctors who prescribe , whether it be drugs or unwarranted surgery, should be stopped ,we as a nation must stop this corruption in our Health Care System...
We must start demanding real health care, not greed and destruction, we must report those doctors who destroy lives to fill their pockets, who cheat the taxpayers and harm patients so they can enjoy bigger houses, better vacations, and multi million dollar lifestyles at our expense.
If you know of a doctor who has committed fraud through over billing, up coding , unwarranted testing and surgery, who has taken advantage of us all , turn them in, report to the medical boards, report to FBI, file complaints, call medicare, speak out, if you have the proof against these kind, you can file a Qui Tam, and receive part of the recovered funds yourself, talk to a lawyer, take action,,,,,,,,, and like MJ wanted, we can build a better world.
With all the controversy, some deserved I am sure and much not deserved, this generation has lost the most talented man we have ever seen, and I was never a huge huge fan, but nobody could see the videos, hear the music and not appreciate the talent , hard work and dedication that went into his work. I can hope that the press will cut him some slack now that he is gone, accusations that were never proven, eccentricities that were maybe well earned and tragedy that should have made one empathetic not made fun of.
That said, there are way too many talented performers, actors and celebrities who leave this earth too soon because of uncaring, greedy doctors who are out there prescribing what they know is too much, too often, Anna Nicole Smith, Elvis, Ledger, now Michael, there is no excuse for these doctors. While I was lucky in comparison, the harm caused me when I went to Dr Downing and Dr Porter " only " caused harm to my eyes, all these doctors who prescribe , whether it be drugs or unwarranted surgery, should be stopped ,we as a nation must stop this corruption in our Health Care System...
We must start demanding real health care, not greed and destruction, we must report those doctors who destroy lives to fill their pockets, who cheat the taxpayers and harm patients so they can enjoy bigger houses, better vacations, and multi million dollar lifestyles at our expense.
If you know of a doctor who has committed fraud through over billing, up coding , unwarranted testing and surgery, who has taken advantage of us all , turn them in, report to the medical boards, report to FBI, file complaints, call medicare, speak out, if you have the proof against these kind, you can file a Qui Tam, and receive part of the recovered funds yourself, talk to a lawyer, take action,,,,,,,,, and like MJ wanted, we can build a better world.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th, Let Freedom Ring
The 4th of July represents everything that this country stands for, freedoms, goodwill and hope.
It isn't really free though, we all have an obligation to work to make this country a better place for ALL people. We do have an obligation to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, one of those peoples being the elderly, the very young and the disabled. While looking at the statistics and the cases of doctors who have ripped off medicare by not providing the correct service to the elderly, or performing unnecessary procedures against others to line their own pockets, this is sad, and this demands our attention, a few of the horrendous cases listed below involve doctors taking advantage of the elderly, young kids, and even the mentally handicapped, we must stop fraudulent doctors from these practices, if you know of a doctor who is performing unnecessary procedures, or ripping off our system by over billing medicare, going into nursing homes and mistreating those there, get together the proof, turn them in, by doing so , you can even collect part of the recovered funds and help the unfortunate in doing so, help this country by keeping our health care cost down, saving taxpayers by stopping abuse of taxpayers monies, and keeping the quality of health care high. The Obama administration has promised to crack down on medical fraud, if you know of a doctor who is cheating the system and the patients, turn him in, here are some outrageous cases that have been caught....-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip J. Gabriele, 44, and his wife, Marcella Gabriele, both of Granger, are accused of falsely and fraudulently diagnosing cataracts and other disorders in patients and performing unnecessary surgeries, according to a statement issued by assistant U.S. attorney Donald Schmid.
The indictment alleges that, as part of the fraud scheme, the defendants altered patient charts and records after the fact, in an effort to make it seem as if diagnoses were accurate and correct,
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/47925197.html
The Gabrieles were found dead in their home, an apparent murder, suicide, only days after a 15 count indictment was handed down, investigation had been ongoing for a couple of years and now it will never be known exactly how many unnecessary surgeries were performed on adults and children ,,, June 19,2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An ophthalmologist accused of conducting unnecessary eye surgery on mentally ill residents of adult homes in New York City surrendered to the authorities yesterday and was charged with health care fraud, officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/24/nyregion/24HOME.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cataract Removal
In 1993, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research warned that many operations to remove a cataract, or clouded lens of the eye, are not necessary. In those cases, the clouding had probably reduced visual acuity, but not enough to bother the patient. Despite the warning, the number of cataract operations has continued to rise -- an increase that far outpaces the rise in the older population.
The best objective indicator that you might benefit from the surgery is having a cataract that reduces your visual acuity to 20/150 even with glasses. But subjective factors are more important: If the cataract does not hamper your daily activities, you don't need surgery, regardless of what any test shows.
If you suspect you have cataracts, you may want to avoid having your initial evaluation performed by an ophthalmologist whose practice consists mainly of cataract surgery -- one who works in a special cataract clinic, for example. Some evidence suggests that such doctors perform a greater proportion of cataract surgeries on minimally impaired eyes than other eye doctors do. (((( I WISH I had known this before going to Downing and McPeak Vision Centers ))))))))))
It isn't really free though, we all have an obligation to work to make this country a better place for ALL people. We do have an obligation to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, one of those peoples being the elderly, the very young and the disabled. While looking at the statistics and the cases of doctors who have ripped off medicare by not providing the correct service to the elderly, or performing unnecessary procedures against others to line their own pockets, this is sad, and this demands our attention, a few of the horrendous cases listed below involve doctors taking advantage of the elderly, young kids, and even the mentally handicapped, we must stop fraudulent doctors from these practices, if you know of a doctor who is performing unnecessary procedures, or ripping off our system by over billing medicare, going into nursing homes and mistreating those there, get together the proof, turn them in, by doing so , you can even collect part of the recovered funds and help the unfortunate in doing so, help this country by keeping our health care cost down, saving taxpayers by stopping abuse of taxpayers monies, and keeping the quality of health care high. The Obama administration has promised to crack down on medical fraud, if you know of a doctor who is cheating the system and the patients, turn him in, here are some outrageous cases that have been caught....-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip J. Gabriele, 44, and his wife, Marcella Gabriele, both of Granger, are accused of falsely and fraudulently diagnosing cataracts and other disorders in patients and performing unnecessary surgeries, according to a statement issued by assistant U.S. attorney Donald Schmid.
The indictment alleges that, as part of the fraud scheme, the defendants altered patient charts and records after the fact, in an effort to make it seem as if diagnoses were accurate and correct,
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/47925197.html
The Gabrieles were found dead in their home, an apparent murder, suicide, only days after a 15 count indictment was handed down, investigation had been ongoing for a couple of years and now it will never be known exactly how many unnecessary surgeries were performed on adults and children ,,, June 19,2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An ophthalmologist accused of conducting unnecessary eye surgery on mentally ill residents of adult homes in New York City surrendered to the authorities yesterday and was charged with health care fraud, officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/24/nyregion/24HOME.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cataract Removal
In 1993, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research warned that many operations to remove a cataract, or clouded lens of the eye, are not necessary. In those cases, the clouding had probably reduced visual acuity, but not enough to bother the patient. Despite the warning, the number of cataract operations has continued to rise -- an increase that far outpaces the rise in the older population.
The best objective indicator that you might benefit from the surgery is having a cataract that reduces your visual acuity to 20/150 even with glasses. But subjective factors are more important: If the cataract does not hamper your daily activities, you don't need surgery, regardless of what any test shows.
If you suspect you have cataracts, you may want to avoid having your initial evaluation performed by an ophthalmologist whose practice consists mainly of cataract surgery -- one who works in a special cataract clinic, for example. Some evidence suggests that such doctors perform a greater proportion of cataract surgeries on minimally impaired eyes than other eye doctors do. (((( I WISH I had known this before going to Downing and McPeak Vision Centers ))))))))))
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