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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | OPINION |
Sunday, April 5, 1998Last modified at 3:47 a.m. on Sunday, April 5, 1998
I just opened the paper and read that a major medical center may close due to the merger of Methodist/St. Mary and it made me query: Is the cancer rate down, or is there another reason? (A-J, 3-5)
Reading deeper into the text, I saw the quote: "Both HMOs are losing significant amounts of money, but I anticipate both of them coming together."
This made me ask: Who or what is driving the medical community?
All of the above reminded me of an endorsement interview in which three doctors were in front of an HMO director and each was asked: How much do you charge for an "optirectumy?"
Doctor No. 1 answered, "$950." Doctor No. 2 answered, "$975." And Doctor No. 3 answered, "What do you want me to charge?"
You guess which doctor got the HMO's endorsement and "who or what is wagging the dog."
P.S. An "optirectumy" is done to cure acute "optirec-tumitis."
PAUL Y. BUTLER, Lubbock