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From: abc@brl-tgr.ARPA (Brint Cooper )
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: DRG/HMOs and quality of Patient Care (provocative)
Message-ID: <6743@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 22-Dec-84 15:34:02 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.6743
Posted: Sat Dec 22 15:34:02 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Dec-84 02:21:33 EST
References: <> <147@ski.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
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> 	My family & I just switched from conventional health insurance
> to the Take Care HMO, mainly because the HMO is cheaper.  It occurred to
> me that the payment scheme would encourage under-treatment, but
> malpractice suits (which encourage over-treatment) are still a factor,
> and I'm betting that the two influences will cancel, resulting in
> appropriate treatment.

	I, too, find certain advantages in an HMO.  However, I suffer
from a chronic, presently uncurable neuromuscular disease.  If I don't
get the correct treatment, I could be totally unproductive, even die.
The most competent care for this nearby is at the Johns Hopkins Medical
Institutions and a few "outside" neurologists with staff and adjunct
faculty priveleges there.  I have yet to see an HMO that would allow me
to see these people and be treated at Hopkins.  Am I wrong?

Brint