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Re: OB VideotapesFrom: Paula S. Woletz, RDMS, RDCS, MPH (woletzps@umdnj.edu)Sun Sep 12 21:04:25 1999
Hi, Paige. I believe the SDMS has a policy statement on keepsake videotapes. Unlike performing sonograms for entertainment, not diagnosis (something I believe almost all of us oppose), should we be making keepsake videos in the course of an exam? This was a hot topic in our department. The sonographers (myself included) were unanimously opposed to them. Some physicians thought it was a nice gesture, and others worried about issues of time, medicolegal ramificatons, and patient dissatisfaction if they could not see "the baby." I should note that whenever possible, we do give one or two keepsake images. In theory, a videotape is just a variation of that. Our opposition was based on practical concerns, not philosophical ones. Ultimately, those practical concerns guided our action. At a business meeting, we voted against making keepsake videotapes. Now, when a patient asks for one, the sonographer says, "I'm sorry, but there's a department policy against it." Before your administrators come to a decision, they should be prepared to answer: Who would provide the tape? How would it be paid for? How much time (per fetus and per pregnancy) should be devoted to making the tape? Who should make it--doctor or sonographer? Should a doctor review each tape before it's released? What happens if a videotape is used in a lawsuit? Do you need to keep a copy of each tape the way you keep the other images? Do you only offer to tape singleton pregnancies? Sonographically normal ones? Only at a certain gestational age? The administrators should remember that insurers are trying to cut reimbursement rates, which means we have to try to improve efficiency. Are they willing to support the extra time videotapng takes if it reduces volume by a patient a month? A week? A day? Finally, would they be considering providing keepsake videos of the patients' gallstones or sonohysterograms instead of their fetuses? Obstetrical ultrasound is no less of a detailed, specialized, diagnostic medical procedure. Where will they draw the line? Good luck. I'd like to hear the outcome. Regards, Paula
At Sun, 12 Sep 1999, PFC wrote:
>
-- Paula S. Woletz, RDMS, RDCS, MPH University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/ St. Peter's University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ woletzps@umdnj.edu
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