Surgery on family member
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Legal, yes.
Ethical grey area, perhaps. The AMA advises that “Physicians generally should not treat themselves or members of their immediate families.” Many reasons for this including a loss of objectivity.
Here's an interesting thought experiment (though with circumstances different than your situation). https://www.jvascsurg.org/article/S0741-5214(05)01158-4/fulltext
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Yikes indeed... Finish this rotation and don't look back.
What type of setting was this? Academic tertiary care type place or rural community type place?
It was pp the guy owned the practice and surgery center
Ok. I don't think this is a good idea, but in certain rural settings with few providers I can see it happening.
This is like a Step question where it keeps giving you the wrong answer's outcome because there are more questions that way.
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It’s weird. Definitely not illegal. I wouldn’t do it. I think there would be too mich pressure. The ethics isn’t exactly black and white. I think there’s an ethical dilemma if the fact that someone is your family member might change the way you manage a problem. If your goal was to cut off a skin cancer, for example, and there really wasn’t much variability in the way that procedure was accomplished, And your family member were paying like any other patient, I’m not sure there’s an ethical dilemma. The moment it changes the way you do your job, a dilemma arises, or at least it might. And once you start prescribing narcotics, there’s a problem.
This happened in a very big city 2m+ population
Yes its legal.
Yes, its frowned upon by colleagues and professional societies. IMHO its most common with aesthetic procedures.
Now I've known some surgeon's family members who insisted (and one who relented) because they felt the surgeon was the best around and why would they want less for themselves.
You can definitely lose objectivity when treating family members and friends.
Yes, its frowned upon by colleagues and professional societies. IMHO its most common with aesthetic procedures.
Now I've known some surgeon's family members who insisted (and one who relented) because they felt the surgeon was the best around and why would they want less for themselves.
You can definitely lose objectivity when treating family members and friends.
I totally lose objectivity with family. You are absolutely, black-letter correct.
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It's not for everybody, but if both the surgeon and the wife are okay with it, who are we to object??
I would do and have done aesthetic surgery on family members. Why would I trust anyone else?
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The more appropriate question would be, "do they trust you?" Or do they feel forced to have you do the surgery since you are a family member? That is the aspect of "treating a family member" that is not frequently addressed.
An interesting question...i can't read minds but I never got any bad vibes. And I never talk anyone into surgery, particularly family or friends
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For aesthetic procedures that presumably are self pay cash procedures i can see it, but for things covered by insurance is it really the case that this would be allowed? I cant off the top of my head think of any super fun insurance fraud scams you could pull with this but it seems very sketchy and like something that would not be allowed. Like a self-kickback
What is not allowable? If they have a problem, you can fix it...it's not fraud if the condition is real
No, not an insurance problem. Just an ethics issue.
I doubt you'd have relatives lining up for unnecessary operations just to pad your bank account.
Would if I could
Anything in particular you'd like done?
In the hospital system I work for, treating a family member in any way is not allowed. You can’t even see them in the office as an outpatient, let alone operate on them. It is a fire-able offense due to the ethical issues.
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I assisted during my sister's hernia repair because I normally assist the other guy. He asked her privately if it was ok then he asked me privately if I was ok with it. Insurance had no problem paying me. Hospital had no problem with it either. Didn't want to be primary surgeon though.
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