Can obesity bias lead to malpractice?
Studies have shown that physicians and other clinicians are often biased against obese and overweight patients. This anti-fat bias can lead providers to assume that obese patients' health issues are all related to their weight rather than conducting a complete investigation into their presenting signs and symptoms.
Dr. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, said in this article, 'Almost Like Malpractice': To Shed Bias, Doctors Get Schooled to Look Beyond Obesity that the problem is a lack of obesity education in medical schools. He stated that doctors often approach obesity with the over-simplified solution to, "eat less, move more," which doesn't work for everyone.
Office practices need a well-designed results management process to ensure diagnostic tests are completed and the practice receives results. Medical Mutual's practice tip Results Management: Tracking Diagnostic Tests and Referrals will help you evaluate and improve your test tracking process.