Anyone know anything about corperations bribing clinic doctors???

Question

i injured my back an didnt think much of it because working at UPS for 2 years i have had all kinds of aches and pains that just come and go, after 2 weeks it is really bothering me and i brought it up to my supervisor who in turn accused me of lying but sent me to the clinic to get it checked out, the doctor made me touch my choulders move side to side and touch my toes, then he poked me in the back a few times an concluded by saying i strained some ligaments and i am to return to work same day(shift was over anyways)....... so my problem is that the bribery of a clinic doctor was brought up at a union meeting and i am curious about whether or not i got screwed. my back twitches after a long day of work and i get random numb/tingling over my spine and the doc didnt take any of that into consideration and just wrote me off, so does anyone know how i should go about taking care of this or know where i can find a good article about a situation similar to mine??? thoughts are welcome

Answer 1

Doubtful on the bribery, but doesn't your insurance cover chiropractic visits? Go to the chiro and improve your back health so you won't get an injury. You ARE trying not to get an injury, right?
.

Answer 2

Frankly, I think the "He who pays the piper, calls the tune."

If UPS pays the clinic bill and the doctor always takes the side of the employee, do you think UPS will continue to send people there?

Some doctors are paid through a capitation system. That is the doctor gets a set amount of money from an insurer or company. The less treatment the doctor gives his patients, the more money he gets to keep.

This system was designed to prevent doctors from milking the system by providing non-required treatments. However, the is a downside.

Get a second opinion from your own doctor & consult w/ a lawyer from the union or a private attorney.

Answer 3

You need a second opinion, from another doctor.

If the second doctor disagrees with the first one, get a third opinion as well.

If the other two doctors agree that the first doctor should have treated you, but didn't, your next appointment should be with a lawyer.

Doctors know, without a word being said, that there are certain expectations of company doctors. Doctors are rewarded by HMOs - it's in their contract - for keeping health care costs down.

But controlling health care by *rationing* it is a violation of the doctor/patient relationship, which is resolved by developing a good lawyer/client relationship.

Answer 4

I have worked around worker's compensation medicine for 8 years and I have a BBA in healthcare management. In my experience, and I have worked with many, MANY doctors who treat injured employees, doctors are not swayed by the companies whose employees they treat. In fact, the second an employer tries to influence the outcome of an injured employee, most doctors get very angry and threaten legal action. It is illegal for doctors to accept bribes or kickbacks from anyone, and to most physicians their license and ability to practice medicine are much more important!
BUT, if you truly feel like you are not being treated fairly for a workers compensation claim, you have rights. The rights of injured workers vary from state to state, but most allow the employee to choose at least 2, if not more, doctors with whom to treat. The best way to protect yourself and not jeapordize your job or your rights is to find your state's workman's compensation commission. I live in Illinois and ours is located at http://iwcc.org. There, you can usually find a handbook outlining the rights of the injured worker. Make sure you file a report of the injury with your employer, obtain your company's WC carrier information, and get a claim numer!

Finally, in my experience, almost all back pain complaints are initially diagnosed as a back sprain or strain. So, you are not really being treated badly as far as I can tell. The docs who treat for UPS (I used to work for an occupational medicine clinic and UPS was our biggest client) are not spine or orthopaedic medicine specialists. They are either internal medicine or emergency medicine doctors who see a great variety of problems. So, if you still have problems, seek further medical attention and make it known to your supervisor.
I hope this all helps!