Dr. Mike Koriwchak has published a new article that analyzes the Obama Administration's proposal (since abandoned but probably only temporarily) to spy on doctors. The New York Times had reported that the Administration had developed a plan to engage "mystery shoppers" to pose as patients with health problems to call doctors to ascertain how the doctors would respond.
Dr. Koriwchak explained that this practice is not only bad policy but unethical. First, the study would have wasted taxpayer money without adding any information that is not already known - America has a shortage of primary care physicians. Second, the government's proposal is unethical because the subjects of the study, doctors and nurses, would be forced to participate without their knowledge or consent. Finally, the study would have gathered information from American doctors through deception and under false pretenses.
For these reasons and others, the government's "behavior makes it difficult for physicians to accept the government as a viable business partner."
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