Law &. Ethics for Medical Careers 5th Edition by Karen Judson,Carlene Harrison

Exercise 52

Use your critical-thinking skills to answer the questions that follow the case studies.
A patient complained to the state medical board that her health care plan physician turned her away from a scheduled office visit because she did not have her checkbook with her and thus could not make the required $20 advance copayment. She complained that, because she was ill, it was unfeeling and unrealistic of the physician to expect her to go home and get her checkbook. She pointed out that the physician's office had a record of her insurance coverage and her payment record was good. The physician refused to make an exception to the "copayment in advance" rule, and the woman went home without seeing him.
In your opinion, should the physician have made an exception to the copayment rule? Why or why not?
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Physician assistants (PA) are employed in physician's offices throughout the United States. Although the PA provides direct patient care, he or she is always under the supervision of a licensed physician. Duties include taking patients' medical histories, performing physical examinations, ordering diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, providing follow-up care, and teaching and counseling patients. In most states PAs may write prescriptions. The PA may be the only health care practitioner a patient sees during his or her visit to the physician's office. Therefore, patients often refer to a PA as "the doctor." Ned, a physician assistant for five years, says the patients he sees often address him as "Doctor."
Similarly, Marie, a long-time employee of a physician in private practice, is often called "the doctor's nurse." Although Marie has never had the training necessary to become a certified medical assistant or a registered nurse, she sometimes refers to herself as the "office nurse."