OB-GYN-L Messages for October, 2004: Re: Cord Blood Gas and Placental Exams

Re: Cord Blood Gas and Placental Exams

From: ainsron

dean@thehuffpeople.net

Tue Oct 12 17:05:22 2004

I published this once before, a number of years ago, but it deserves repeating. When I was in practice in Topeka, Kansas, there was an organization by the name of Kansas Foundation For Medical Care (KFMC). The sole purpose for their existence, I am convinced, was to find reasons to deny pay to physicians for legitimate medical care.

Newborn charts were reviewed by an internist from Overland Park, Kansas, who, as best I could tell, had absolutely no experience in pediatrics, neonatology, or obstetrics.

Whenever he found a chart with an Apgar score of less than 7 (whether it was one minute, five minutes, or ten minutes, and whether it was a vaginal birth or cesarean section, and whether or not cord blood gasses were done), he would write IN THE CHART, "birth asphyxia"!

I can imagine what kind of problems that would cause if there were a professional liability case, with the chart saying "birth asphyxia".

I have often felt that those who review medical practice of others (review organizations such as KFMC and the physicians who work for it, expert witnesses, etc.) should themselves be considered to be practicing medicine when they do the review and, if it is not done "to the standard of care", they themselves should be subject to malpractice litigation and to license actions such as suspension, revocation, etc., the same as those who practice medicine are subjected.

- - - -

Quoting Ronald E. Ainsworth:

> When I cornered one of our hospitals pathologists, I asked him if they would
> be able to handle the extra work of the placentas we would be sending them
> and of course he said they would. Why not, who wouldn't want to increase
> their business by that many cases each month? In larger hospitals, like
> Robert's, it would almost equate to a full-time job for a pathologist.
>
> Ronald E. Ainsworth
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net [mailto:ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net] On Behalf Of Joe
> Cutchin
> Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 11:08 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list OB-GYN-L
> Subject: Re: Cord Blood Gas and Placental Exams
>
> Art: you really nailed that one. Very few pathologists in this country
> have any expertice in placenta pathology.
>
> "art fougner, md" wrote:
> >
> > Whatever the cost, a hastily performed placental examination done by the
> > inexperienced is less than worthless.
> >
> > art
> >
> > At Mon, 11 Oct 2004, DMECNM@aol.com wrote:
> > >
> > >I got a response from path regarding placental exams. Straight
> forward,
> > >routine exam is $239.80
> > >
> > >I will add that I have never sent a placenta to path that didn't come
> back
> > >"chorioamnionitis", regardless of the reason I sent the placenta.
> > >
> > >Denise, CNM
> > >So Cal
> >
> > --
> > art fougner, md
> > ich bin ein New Yorker
>

use when must restrict search to only the ob-gyn-l forum...
Enter search keywords:
	Returns per screen: Require all keywords: