Is it ethical to charge for a wrong diagnosis?

[rayr]

Is it ethical to charge for a wrong diagnosis? I was recently
diagnosed with Fuchs'. I understand that it is a fairly easy disease
to diagnose, but the first two doctors who examined me did not find
it. The first thought my problem was cataracts but was not sure and he
refereed me to a cataract surgeon. The second was an Ophthalmologist
who said my only problem was wrong eyeglass prescription which was off
by .25 diopter in one eye. The cataract surgeon said Fuchs' and I
think he is correct.

Doctor 2 collected most of his fee from Medicare but is now billing me
for refractive prescription. My opinion is if he had made a proper
diagnosis he would not have recommended new glasses to try curing
Fuchs'. Is it ethical for him to bill me in spite of his mistake?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Yes it is ethical. Given that even with the most gifted of physicians about 10% of diagnosis are "wrong" it is ethical, proper and customary.

Besides there is always the issue of "how many guttatta make Fuchs' Dystrophy"  many of us, especially as we age, develop bumps on the back of the cornea (guttatta) while one ophthalmologist may think the number normal for the age another might diagnosis Fuch's it is not a yes-no type of diagnosis, neither is cataract, neither is glaucoma.

It would be a mistake to call what happened a mistake.  It's "lawyer think"

JCH III MD

[rayr]

Guttata are stage 3+, corneal thickness 645.  Is that in the range that is considered normal?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

No