If someone dies during surgery, and the surgery isn't even completed, should the doctor still charge the deceased loved ones the entire cost of the procedure? Or due to ethics, should they write off at the very least, the co-payment (the portion the insurance doesn't cover)
Furthermore, would the insurance even pay for a surgery if someone passes away during it? I would think they wouldn't. Well, then the life insurance policy (if they have one) would pay for it, I guess.
Secondly, what DO most doctors do? What SHOULD they do vs. What DO they do? Do they do what's ethical and write off the costs?
Answer:
Fortunately, death during surgery is very rare.
In those cases where it does occur, it is usually not the result of a "botched" operation (think, gunshot wound, emergency bypass surgery, etc.) Those cases require HUGE amounts of resources and are very expensive. Are you suggesting that when it matters the most, doctors should work for free? Those cases are physically and emotionally demanding on the people who care for the patients.
Insurances do cover the costs associated with surgery, and it is not related to the outcome.
Risk management concerns come up if a patient dies because of a medical error. It is not in the errant doctor's best interest to bill for a procedure that he/she screwed up, and I doubt many would.
If doctors were paid based on outcome, how would the difficult cases ever get done? Who would take the risk? It's bad enough that lawyers are ready to sue at the drop of a hat, even if the care delivered was perfect.
Sometimes bad things happen. There are NO guarantees in medicine.
What would you say if the reverse was suggested? If the patients don't follow the doctor's instructions and something goes wrong, they pay double. (hello, smokers!) Just a thought.
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