An 82-year-old friend recently woke up with a slight fever. Living right next to some of America’s best hospitals, he decided not to take any chances with his health and went down to Massachusetts General Hospital (“the massive genital” as my MD friends call it). As an American citizen on Medicare’s fee-for-service system, he was a prime candidate for a battery of expensive tests. They decided to start with a CT scan, enhanced with a dye. The test did not reveal any pathology, but it did provoke a near-fatal allergic reaction that resulted in him being hospitalized. He was fortunate to escape the fate of the 1 in 75,000 patients who receive this test and die (source). Having gone over to Mass General with a slight flu, my friend emerged after 12 days hovering on the edge between life and death. The taxpayer was stuck with a bill of at least $20,000 for an illness that was entirely caused by the test.
2 thoughts on “Medicare in Action”
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A couple cardinal rules of medicine.
Never forget a doctor can always make things worse so be careful what you ask for.
No drug or test is free from risk.
Generally contrast (dye) is safe but some considerations need to be considered especially in older populations with marginal renal (kidney) function. Without knowing the reasons for the CT with contrast, I am at a loss to explain why the testing was done with the info you have provided. I wish him a speedy recovery).
Calls to mind the “House of God”s rule that the best treatment for older patients is no treatment at all. Not much has changed in the 30 or so years since that book was written I see.