What?! MDs charge for 'death pronouncement'?

WHAT?! MDs CHARGE FOR "DEATH PRONOUNCEMENT"?

(Dr. Gastaldo's remarks are interspersed #####.)

From Medical Newswire 5/30/07:

Think Twice Before Coding Death Pronouncement

Question: When the hospital asks an ED physician to pronounce a
patient's death, what code should we report for the service? We were
thinking 99231.

Alabama Subscriber

Answer: Most insurers will not pay for this service, so you would
usually not code for death pronouncement. Typically ED physicians
pronounce a patient's death as a courtesy to the attending physician.

If you are absolutely determined to try to garner payment for the
service, you might consider 99231 (Subsequent hospital care, per day,
for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires at
least two of these three key components: a problem-focused interval
history; a problem-focused examination; and medical decision-making
that is straightforward or of low complexity).

However, you should check with the insurer before reporting any codes
for death pronouncement.

#### DR. GASTALDO REMARKS:

#### Medical NewsWire offers this "explanation" for lack of coverage
of "death pronouncement":

Explanation: If the patient is dead before the ED physician arrives,
and the ED physician is just there to confirm that fact, then the
patient is no longer covered by insurance (health benefits end at the
time of death).

#### DR. GASTALDO ASKS: But who PRONOUNCED the patient dead before
the ED physician arrived? Quoting an imaginary ED physician
paraphrasing the Hanes underwear inspection lady: They ain't dead
'til **I** say they dead.

#### Medical NewsWire continues with this helpful suggestion:

Since insurance will not cover the pronouncement, you'd have to bill
the patient's estate and try to recoup payment that way. Most ED
groups provide this as a courtesy service and for public-relations
reasons may decide not to submit a bill.

END 5/30/07 Medical NewsWire excerpt.

#### DR. GASTALDO REMARKS FURTHER...

Instead of contacting insurers to find out if "Death Pronouncement" is
covered, Emergency Department physicians should contact insurers and
tell them that MD-obstetricians and CNMwives are senselessly closing
birth canals up to 30% and senselessly robbing babies of up to 50% of
their blood volume.

Worse, when babies get stuck, MD-obstetricians are KEEPING birth
canals closed the "extra" up to 30% as they pull with hands, forceps
and vacuums.

Some babies die - some babies get paralyzed - most "only" have their
spines gruesomely manipulated.

Chiropractic organizations are remaining silent about the gruesome
spinal
manipulation perhaps because of federal rules - something I call
the Federal CAM scam...

See AMI OB/GYNs: Are they 'true CAM providers'?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.m...6475211e7e2368

Silence is a sort of "death pronouncement" for some babies.

Hopefully, chiropractic physicians will break their silence.

See AMI OB/GYNs: Are they 'true CAM providers'?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.m...d83859d723fa77

Hopefully insurers can be persuaded to STOP PAYING for this birth-
canal-closing/spinal manipulaton by MDs which is a "death
pronouncement" for some babies.

Hopefully LAW ENFORCEMENT will eventually take action.

Unfortunately, law enforcement is looking the other way.

....and MDs know it.

Steve Harris, MD arrogantly boasts:

"Without enforcement, there is no law. Without law, there is no crime.
These are elementary principles. Get an adult to explain them to you."
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.kids.pregnancy/msg/
28866f3384801ae9

Adults: Please explain the silence as MDs senselessly close birth
canals.

I'll cc the adult known as Oregon Atty Genl Hardy Myers via
.

Hardy, please do your job.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Sincerely,

Todd

Dr. Gastaldo
Hillsboro, Oregon
USA


PS Other silence...

Breastfeeding advocates should break their silence and work to change
the vaccination laws to promote the most prolific immunizers -
breastfeeding women.

See Breastfeedings are IMMUNIZATIONS - a breastfeeding action step
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.m...77ffb6b14be1ef

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