“Don’t just ask the doctor which type of treatment you should get…,” “Ask the doctor, ‘What happens if I don’t get this treatment? How does this affect the outcome?’”

A Kaiser Health News article noted ”Older breast cancer patients who received radiation treatment after surgery were more likely to undergo a more expensive and somewhat controversial type of radiation called brachytherapy if they got their care at for-profit rather than nonprofit hospitals…”

“We wanted to see whether for-profit hospitals, which arguably have a greater incentive to provide returns to their shareholders, would be more likely to adopt a higher-reimbursement therapy than a nonprofit hospital — and that’s exactly what we found,” “This reinforces the idea that reimbursement is a significant driver of the adoption of new cancer therapies, which is a shame … Evidence should be the main driver.”

For these patients, “who may not have gotten radiation to begin with, brachytherapy is driving an overall increase in the use of radiation,”

“… the take-home message for patients is that treatment recommendations vary from provider to provider, and they should always get a second opinion.”

Click here to read the full Kaiser Health News article “Study: Costly Breast Cancer Treatment More Common At For-Profit Hospitals” by Roni Caryn Rabin.

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Doctor, Did You Wash Your Hands? ™ provides information to consumers on understanding, managing and navigating health care options.

Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.

This blog shares general information about understanding and navigating the health care system. For specific medical advice about your own problems, issues and options talk to your personal physician.

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