Princess Health and CIGNA Can't Take a Joke. Princessiccia

Princess Health and CIGNA Can't Take a Joke. Princessiccia

CIGNA confidentiality clause free speech health insurance intimidation

Gusty 12:50 Add Comment

The Associated Press reported (see the Washington Post version) that the Dr. Douglas Farrago, the physician who edits the humor magazine Placebo Journal was threatened with legal action for publishing a satirical piece on managed care. The parody was of a patient satisfaction survey, by the imaginary "SICKNA Healthcare" managed care organization, signed by "W. E. Sucque" from the "Medical Thievery and Health Policy Division."
After the piece was published, his employer, Sisters of Charity Health System, received a call from CIGNA Healthcare's lawyers demanding the Farrago "cease and desist." Apparently, CIGNA Healthcare's contract with the hospital system bars physicians from "any false or disparaging communications which could, or are likely to interfere with or otherwise damage any of CIGNA's existing or potential contractual relationships." CIGNA spokesperson Lindsay Shearer suggested that the complaint arose from offended CIGNA employees, "our employees work very hard to provide high quality service to our members, our clients, our providers. And when they see stuff like that it upset them."
Perhaps CIGNA really does have some employees who are easily offended. Perhaps they were educated at some of the insitutions of higher learning, so well documented by FIRE, where a slightly offensive remark is grounds for charges under the local "speech code." (See this link for examples.)
However, it was CIGNA's lawyers, not its line employees, who went after Dr. Farrago. So maybe the company's heavy-handed approach to suppressing free expression will generate more bad publicity for it than Farrago's parody could ever have done.
I agree with Farrago's take on this, "If my hospital, who has allowed me the freedom to be creative, gets bullied to fire me over this then it proves that HMOs are really running our health care system."
File this one under "intimidation and coercion," sub-category "attacks on free expression."

Princess Health and CIGNA Can't Take a Joke.Princessiccia

Princess Health and CIGNA Can't Take a Joke.Princessiccia

CIGNA confidentiality clause free speech health insurance intimidation

Gusty 12:50 Add Comment

The Associated Press reported (see the Washington Post version) that the Dr. Douglas Farrago, the physician who edits the humor magazine Placebo Journal was threatened with legal action for publishing a satirical piece on managed care. The parody was of a patient satisfaction survey, by the imaginary "SICKNA Healthcare" managed care organization, signed by "W. E. Sucque" from the "Medical Thievery and Health Policy Division."
After the piece was published, his employer, Sisters of Charity Health System, received a call from CIGNA Healthcare's lawyers demanding the Farrago "cease and desist." Apparently, CIGNA Healthcare's contract with the hospital system bars physicians from "any false or disparaging communications which could, or are likely to interfere with or otherwise damage any of CIGNA's existing or potential contractual relationships." CIGNA spokesperson Lindsay Shearer suggested that the complaint arose from offended CIGNA employees, "our employees work very hard to provide high quality service to our members, our clients, our providers. And when they see stuff like that it upset them."
Perhaps CIGNA really does have some employees who are easily offended. Perhaps they were educated at some of the insitutions of higher learning, so well documented by FIRE, where a slightly offensive remark is grounds for charges under the local "speech code." (See this link for examples.)
However, it was CIGNA's lawyers, not its line employees, who went after Dr. Farrago. So maybe the company's heavy-handed approach to suppressing free expression will generate more bad publicity for it than Farrago's parody could ever have done.
I agree with Farrago's take on this, "If my hospital, who has allowed me the freedom to be creative, gets bullied to fire me over this then it proves that HMOs are really running our health care system."
File this one under "intimidation and coercion," sub-category "attacks on free expression."

Princess Health and Secrecy. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Secrecy. Princessiccia

confidentiality clause health insurance secrecy

Gusty 06:43 Add Comment

I'm trying to catch up after a busy weekend, and there is a lot to catch up on...
Last week in the Hartford Courant, an op-ed article entitled "Medically Unnecessary" offered an ear, nose and throat surgeon's heart-felt complaints about the brave new world of practice dominated by managed care.
In particular, he recounted how his practice tried to negotiate with a prominent insurance company. As a prerequesite to negotiating, the company sent the doctors a "confidentiality contract," which included penalties up to $100,000 per person for any "breach of confidentiality, [decided] solely at the insurer's discretion." The doctors refused to sign.
Here is another example of the secrecy rampant in US health care. Earlier, we had posted about how hospitals keep their often stratospheric "list prices" secret, even from patients who may later be liable to pay these prices if they have no health insurer who can negotiate discounts. We also had posted about how medical schools and academic medical centers are often willing to negotiate research contracts with sponsors whose provisions are kept confidential, perhaps to hide provisions that give the corporate sponsor, not the ostensibly academic investigators control of most aspects of the research.
There are some instances in which secrecy in health care is justifiable. Keeping patients' personal data confidential is a a core value for most physicians. It also seems reasonable for companies that manufacture products used in health care to be able to maintain trade secrets about their manufacturing processes.
However, for the most part, we should cultivate transparency and openness in health care. It is hard to conceive of legitimate reasons to keep hospitals' prices, contracts between medical schools and research sponsors, and contracts between doctors and managed care organizations secret. On the other hand, it is easy to think of how such secrecy could hide unethical business practices, and potentially even abuse of patients and corruption.
It is time to end this secrecy.

Princess Health and Secrecy.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Secrecy.Princessiccia

confidentiality clause health insurance secrecy

Gusty 06:43 Add Comment

I'm trying to catch up after a busy weekend, and there is a lot to catch up on...
Last week in the Hartford Courant, an op-ed article entitled "Medically Unnecessary" offered an ear, nose and throat surgeon's heart-felt complaints about the brave new world of practice dominated by managed care.
In particular, he recounted how his practice tried to negotiate with a prominent insurance company. As a prerequesite to negotiating, the company sent the doctors a "confidentiality contract," which included penalties up to $100,000 per person for any "breach of confidentiality, [decided] solely at the insurer's discretion." The doctors refused to sign.
Here is another example of the secrecy rampant in US health care. Earlier, we had posted about how hospitals keep their often stratospheric "list prices" secret, even from patients who may later be liable to pay these prices if they have no health insurer who can negotiate discounts. We also had posted about how medical schools and academic medical centers are often willing to negotiate research contracts with sponsors whose provisions are kept confidential, perhaps to hide provisions that give the corporate sponsor, not the ostensibly academic investigators control of most aspects of the research.
There are some instances in which secrecy in health care is justifiable. Keeping patients' personal data confidential is a a core value for most physicians. It also seems reasonable for companies that manufacture products used in health care to be able to maintain trade secrets about their manufacturing processes.
However, for the most part, we should cultivate transparency and openness in health care. It is hard to conceive of legitimate reasons to keep hospitals' prices, contracts between medical schools and research sponsors, and contracts between doctors and managed care organizations secret. On the other hand, it is easy to think of how such secrecy could hide unethical business practices, and potentially even abuse of patients and corruption.
It is time to end this secrecy.