High Cost of Medical Malpractice; Dial-A-Doc Online
GUPTA: Welcome back to HOUSE CALL. You know the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists say 89 percent of OB-GYNs have been sued at least once. So what happens exactly when a patient sues even after a life-saving procedure? Randi Kaye takes a look.</s>RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over nearly two decades, Dr. Wendy Fried has delivered more than 3,000 babies, so many babies and still this OB-GYN has never been found to be at fault. So why is she paying close to $170,000 a year in malpractice insurance?</s>DR. WENDY FRIED, OBSTETRICIAN-GYNECOLOGIST: For the year I will be paying $168,192 to be able to practice obstetrics.</s>KAYE (on camera): In case you're sued.</s>FRIED: In case I'm sued.</s>KAYE (voice-over): Everyone wants a perfectly healthy baby. So when something goes wrong, some families sue. Among all medical specialties, obstetrician are sued most. In 1998, one of Dr. Fried's patients sued for malpractice. She says the pregnancy was fine but during labor the baby just didn't budge. (</s>On camera): What did that tell you?</s>FRIED: Immediately I suspected a uterine rupture which is our biggest fear. At this point I recognized that she was absolutely going to need an emergency life-saving hysterectomy.</s>KAYE: Dr. Fried had to act quickly. She says her patient would have been dead within half hour had she not performed that emergency hysterectomy. The woman had lost so much blood, Dr. Fried said, she had to give her 54 units. That's about seven times the average amount of blood in the entire human body. (</s>Voice-over): Both mom and baby survived, such a happy conclusion, the family invited Dr. Fried to Christmas dinner. Then six months later.</s>FRIED: I wound up getting a request for my records for this patient from a plaintiff's attorney.</s>KAYE: In fact, it was the beginning of a three-year legal battle. Dr. Fried was sued for unnecessary hysterectomy and failure to counsel her patient. Dr. Fried felt betrayed. She said she had saved this woman's life then canceled her office hours for days to sleep at her bedside to safeguard her recovery. The patient's surprise decision to sue blew her away.</s>FRIED: Every single morning I would go through and say, is there something else that I could have done?</s>KAYE: Dr. Fried's deposition, all 900 pages of it, took three days. The trial lasted 3 1/2 weeks. When it was over, the jury decided Dr. Wendy Fried did nothing wrong. The cost of malpractice insurance is only going up. Two years ago Dr. Fried's premiums jumped 14 percent. She's cut back on expenses at home just to afford malpractice insurance. That fear of getting sued on top of the pricey liability insurance has forced hundreds of OB-GYN's to give up their practice. Dr. Wendy Fried says she isn't quitting the baby business. She shouldn't, she says, because she's a good doctor. She says she can't quit because too many others are. Randi Kaye, CNN, North Hills, New York.</s>GUPTA: Well, that's just one look at what's happening with tort reform and happening with medical malpractice overall. Certainly a topic that we'll continue to talk about. Talk about health reform. President Obama has been talking a lot about using advanced technology to cut health care costs over all. Elizabeth Cohen looks at one innovative program that could be part of that effort.</s>COHEN (voice-over): You bank online. You shop online. Why can't you get your medical care online? Well, soon the doctor may be coming directly to your living room or my living room. (</s>On camera): Hi, Dr. Avila.</s>DR. PATRICIA AVILA, INTERNIST: How may I help you today?</s>COHEN (voice-over): It's a house call for the 21st century, a pioneering program where doctors see patients online. (</s>On camera): So it's $40 for 10 minutes. And here we go. (</s>Voice-over): Curious, I asked if I could try it out. I've been having a minor health problem that's been bugging me for months but I haven't had the time to go to the doctor to check it out. (</s>On camera): I have a question about a mole today. I woke up one morning a couple of months ago and I had this kind of funky looking, little red mole on my arm. And I'm a little worried about it.</s>AVILA: Has the color changed in any way?</s>COHEN: No, the color stayed the same.</s>AVILA: OK. Are the borders round, smooth or are they irregular?</s>COHEN: The border is pretty smooth. (</s>Voice-over): Around the clock, whenever they want, patients who belong to this health care system in Hawaii can dial up a doctor like Dr. Patricia Avila. She's an internist but you can also get a pediatrician or a dermatologist or any other specialists. It's part of the latest trend in telemedicine. In Houston, patients can pop into a Wal-Mart to see a doctor via video. Opponents say it's impersonal. Supporters say telemedicine makes doctors more available and saves money. It's the type of idea the president says could help solve the health care crisis.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records. A new technology that will reduce errors to bring down costs.</s>COHEN: Back to my suspicious mole, the verdict is in.</s>AVILA: I would like you to monitor your moles on a monthly basis.</s>COHEN: There are limits to this online doctoring. The Dr. Avila tells me if my mole changes at all, I really need to see a doctor in person. But in the meantime, at least I've had my nagging health care answered without having to leave my home. (</s>On camera): Bye, Dr. Avila. Thank you.</s>GUPTA: All right, Elizabeth, thanks. Now if the saying you are what you eat is true, that means many of us must be feeling pretty sweet. And that's not a good thing. Just how much sugar is too much? We'll tell you after the break. Stay with HOUSE CALL.