More "Unnecessary Stents," Now in Pennsylvania (medical $$$ )

[ShortJohnSilver]

Two cardiologists in the Pittsburgh area are being singled out for having performed "unnecessary" stent procedures, following the conclusions of two teams of outside reviewers, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting [1].

News that Drs Ehab Morcos and George Bousamra, of Westmoreland Hospital in Greenberg, PA, may have implanted over 140 unneeded stents in 2010 comes as Maryland legislators are being asked to consider laws to strengthen cath lab oversight, ideally to prevent such cases from occurring.

As reported by heartwire , Maryland's House of Delegates Health and Government Operations Committee and its Senate Finance Health Subcommittee heard testimony yesterday from two major cardiology societies in favor of increased practice oversight, following allegations raised against interventionalists Dr Mark Midei (St Joseph Medical Center, Towson, MD) and Dr John R McClean.

According to Tribune-Review reporter Luis Fabregas, Morcos and Bousamra voluntarily resigned their privileges at the hospital in mid-January after administrators questioned the necessity of some of their 700 cases in 2010. The article also notes that the hospital spent half a million dollars to conduct its reviews, involving two independent teams of 15 cardiologists, including "nationally recognized interventional cardiologists," who determined that 141 of these patients may not have needed stents.

The names of both doctors are being turned over to the Office of the Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services, the article notes.

I have no idea what nationalities Morcos and Bousamra represent, but it sure ain't the typical folks who live around the area, unless you include recent 3rd worlders...

[Cobalt]

2 words

Second Opinion

[po boy]

Doctored to death.

[Book]

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001094995/20080411_doctor_money_18_answer_1_xlarge.jpeg

[Son-of-Liberty]

I read this in the paper & found out that cardiologists are "supposed" to put stents in on patients
who have a 70% or higher blockage, well these two doctors were putting in stents on patients who had blockages
of 40 to 50% which made the stents medically unnecessary. I wonder how many other specialty doctors have these types of protocols
to follow. For example, the ob/gyn's that perform hysterectomies everyday......Wonder if there is a board who reviews if they are over-doing
the hysterectomies ? (or any specialists who over-do surgeries )
Plus these two doctors were turned in by their piers that work with them. So they weren't reviewed until someone (other doctors) alerted that board.
Interesting.

Those poor patients, I wish they (or their loved ones) only knew to do their homework before they had the procedure done.
So sad.


Pretty obvious they are overdoing the hysterectomies. My step mom had one done because the doctors were worried about possible cancerous tumors, they never bothered to do a biopsy. After the surgery it turned out to just be scar tissue from some operation she had as a child. Go figure.

[gunDriller]

Four words.

Stay away from doctors


exactly !

i'd thank you again but i'd have to re-register under another username ;D

the purpose of American medicine is to generate revenues for American doctors and other "health care" workers.

the Christian Scientists and the Amish are on the right track. living healthy without American doctors, most of the time.