The June 10 article in The Daily Times about local doctors receiving money from pharmaceutical companies was revealing. No one is against honorable compensation but often this practice can appear as a conflict of interest between patient care and financial gain. Unfortunately partnering with pharmaceuticals is like swimming with the sharks as these companies are routinely involved in corrupt business practices. For example Eli-Lilly, one of the large supporters of Dr. Hearne paid $1.4 billion in 2009 to settle a single fraud case! Included in this settlement is a criminal fine of $515 million, one of the largest ever. As expected doctors will ALWAYS state that they always have their patient’s “best interest at heart” but there is ample evidence to the contrary. One does not need to look any further than the catheterization lab at PRMC which is under federal surveillance as a result of evidence of fraud or the website for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where there is documentation of very shameful behavior by drug companies and health care providers.
Ridiculous that everyone thinks a few thousand dollars to go speak at a seminar means anything I personally know Dr heard and he is a preeminent physician with highest morals and values
ReplyDeleteOne of top hundred BEST in the country.
ReplyDeleteOh hell Joe, you refuse to publish comments too.
ReplyDeleteAs far as PRMC goes, I don't know what kind of hospital it is, besides a band-aid hospital.
I used to defend them but lately more and more crap goes on there, (or worse, nothing goes on), if you go to er at night it looks like a junkie convention.
And those slimeballs leave litter and trash all over the place.
Where is security? The eastern shore is sinking lower and lower on the totem pole as far as health care goes.
More and more doctors seem like they don't know what they are doing, don't care, rude, insulting, condescending, etc. ad nauseum.
If you have a serious health issue your best bet is to go across the bay. And then hope you don't get robbed or killed. Meanwhile, DEA is harassing, intimidating, and in at least one case, ruining a doctor's reputation because of a self admitted junkie and drug seeker.
I'm as patriotic as the next guy but this country, government, police, pols, etc, are becoming more and more of a joke each passing day.
And then there is the insurance companies (bcbs for one that I personally know about), counter manning doctors' orders and refusing to pay if they don't agree with what the doctor prescribes.
Seems the whole world has gone insane.
The writer is NOT attempting to taint Dr. Hearne in any way or to brand him as dishonorable. The point of this comment is to point out the poor ethics of most pharmaceutical companies that are involved in fraud in a big way and pay billions each year in fraud settlements to the US government.Health care is responsible for more government fraud than any other industry. I don't know Hearne and I have no reason to think he is not an honorable man but that does not change the fact that there are many local doctors that are not. If you don't believe that then you are naive.
ReplyDeleteAgain the DT shows how far off base it is: the Headline shouted Docs Raking in BIG Bucks from Pharmaceutical Firms. They then justified this by saying Wicomico County Physicians received $300,000 since 2009. If that was the exclusive income for 10 docs, for 3 years, they'd be on welfare. Not exactly raking in big bucks no matter how it shakes out.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing was, as usual, in lieu of reporting any news - which is consistent.
The Cath lab at PRMC is top notch. Dr. McLean is the reason for the surveillance, and he is now in a federal prison because of fraud. I know Dr. Hearne both personally and professionally, and he is one of the best cardiologists at PRMC.
ReplyDeleteThis post does not imply that Dr. Hearne or anyone else is unethical or dishonest. However you cannot deny the facts that there is no industry that has more government fraud than health care and pharmaceuticals have a terrible record. Cozy relationships between doctors and pharmaceuticals give the opportunity for dishonest doctors to compromise patient care for financial gain. It's done all the time and these corrupt practices have been coming under more scrutiny. And if you think there are no corrupt or dishonest local doctors you are very naive.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Peggy Naleppa's son in law was recently hired to work in the Cath lab. I'm certain he world report any wrong doing that may be going on.
ReplyDeleteI for one do not think the public understands the sacrifices physicians and medical providers make to ensure overall health of their patients. If you were to look up each provider listed in the DT article, you would see they are all specialists. These specialists educate other providers on not just certain meds but difference disease processes. All medical professional continue their education at their own expense, and so these pharm companies are providing a service to the medical profession. You cannot expect a dr that works countless hours and spends time away from their families to perform these educational sessions without compensation. It's like working extra overtime for free!!
ReplyDeleteSecurity at PRMC is busy with valet parking.
ReplyDeleteThe more you look into it, the more corruption you see.
ReplyDeleteI like the post by one of Hearne's friends claiming how he is the preemminent cardiologist and would never compromise his ethics. What a load of BULL. He's a crook just like the rest of them that have persuaded the public that they need specialized care on a constant basis so they can continue to milk the medicare pie and get thier graft from the pharmaceutical companies like Lilly and Bhoehinger-Ingleheim who hawk cumonin for heart patients whether they need it or not. All specialized physicians are crooked. Period.
Let me comment from firsst hand,I am a working nurse at one of the Drs. Offices here in Salisbury . Yes there are some goood Drs. and yet you do have the Idots that think they are better then you. ok its great that they are willing t0o share there knowledge for money, but what about teaching some of there own employees for fre ,not one Dr. will do one thing for nothing I can say personally .One of the Drs s own words I will not do one thing for free . And there are the ones who exact words are after they see the Pt get the pain in the you know what out of here.,also there are lot of other words that I will n ot mention so do not think they are so high and mighty they do not even take care of there staff properly hell bottom line is that they only care about themselves.They will shift pts around even cancel appointment
ReplyDeleteso they can have a vacation for the 3-4time in one year.
1:35
ReplyDeleteHave you considered that McLean was thrown under the bus! The federal prosecutor in the case believed PRMC was involved and stated so on the record. Would the hospital pay $2.8 million to settle the case if they were so clean? The federal government is checking everything that goes on in the cat lab because they were convinced something was not right. Do you think McLean worked all alone. Did he do all these surgeries by himself at midnight?
Either PRMC was intimately involved or they were not competent to run the cat lab and protect their own patients! Either way it does not say anything good about the hospital!
Dr. Hearne has confirmed what should be well known by the general public but isn't. Specialist physicians and pharmaceutical companies have been in bed together since convincing the general public that they need this specialized care on a regular basis and this specialized medication on a regular basis to boot. Yes, there may be some slight benefit to giving lectures to inform other physicians but the bottom line Dr Hearne, the financial bottom line, due to pharmacuetical graft, and the ever present medicare pie you and your so called specialist bretheren continue to pocket under the guise of "We have the patient's intrest foremost at heart" should confirm to you that you should not be able to live with yourself. See you on the slopes on your next pharmacueticaly sponsored ski trip. I too go to the same ski resort you and your family attend where Ely-Lilly maintains a corporate getaway but not under Ely-Lilly's name.
ReplyDeleteThe cath lab at PRMC is not without fault. One prominent cardiologist several years ago, lost a well known patient while on the table and walked out the back door of the cath lab to avoid speaking with the patient's family.
ReplyDeleteit's always about the money. If it wasn't then why don't the docs do these speeches and etc for free?
ReplyDelete$10,000 is still $10,000 no matter who you are. ask obummer!
One thing that PRMC and its supporters often boast about is the distinction of being one of the “top 100 hospitals in the nation”. Does anyone really believe that claim other than the PRMC PR department and some doctors with inflated opinions of themselves? I know that the Health Grades report lists it this way but can anyone believe a report that rates PRMC in the top 100 hospitals and excludes the Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Medical Center or Massachusetts General? In Maryland the report excludes Johns Hopkins but includes PRMC and the St. Joseph Medical Center, the only two hospitals in the state operating under a Corporate Integrity Agreement for fraud. Let’s face it, PRMC is a marginal hospital staffed by some good docs but many more that are marginal or poor. Worse still many docs are corrupt. People in this area need to face this reality.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 10:17
ReplyDeleteI need a little clarification. You mention:
"And the slimeballs leave litter and trash all over the place"
Are you referring to the patients in the ER or Doctors Wehberg and Marks hooking up with their nurse girlfriends in an empty examining room?
They are both rather messy!
Are you referring to the patients in the ER or Doctors Wehberg and Marks hooking up with their nurse girlfriends in an empty examining room?
ReplyDeleteThey are both rather messy!
June 18, 2012 8:31 AM
I was referring to the 'patients', if you want to call them that.
I have no idea about what the doctors do, but it would not surprise me if you were correct.
Health care on the shore and most of the ones who administer it are of not very good quality.
ReplyDeleteThey think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but their performance proves otherwise.
The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission maintains a website (Google it) that includes filed copies of Hospitals' Form 990 Tax Returns. this is very insightful reading. there is also some very disturbing information within those tax returns. i encourage folks to take a look and come to your own conclusions. at least pay particular attention to the areas of executive compensation (who makes what) and community outreach programs, remembering that these entities are 501-c(3) IRS approved non-profit organizations
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the tax returns. Nice to see that Naleppa and Lunsford are raking in the big bucks. Meanwhile, the worker bees that are on call for emergencies are paid 3.00 per hour to carry a beeper. Seems fair to me. NOT!!!!
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