Doctor Doesn't Accept Obese Patients: What Do You Think?
The controversy stemmed from a Shrewsbury woman being denied as a new patient at a primary care physician's office in Worcester.
Debate ensued late this summer after a Shrewsbury resident was turned away from a primary care doctor's office because she was obese.
The woman told WCVB that Dr. Helen Carter told her she couldn't treat her as a patient because she weighed more than 200 pounds.
The doctor's policy is not illegal. The American Medical Association's Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs policy reads "Both patients and physicians should be able to exercise freedom in whom to enter into a patient-physician relationship ... physicians do not give up their freedom of association by merely becoming professionals."
Feedback on the doctor's decision has ranged from supportive to appalled. What do you think?
Mike Szaban
10:15 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
According to your chart, Tom Brady would be obese.
observation
11:15 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Here is an alternate view. Maybe the "medical professional" would not have been injured if they were in better shape themselves and used proper mechanics. From the video above neither was the case.
UglyHat
1:39 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
What’s the big deal? Is she upset the doctor wouldn’t treat her, or because someone dared tell her she is overweight? I’ve had mechanics tell me they wouldn’t help me. We recently had a couple of cabinet guys tell (or infer to) us they didn’t want our business.
If the doctor doesn’t want to treat you until you demonstrate more interest in treating yourself, follow her recommendations or find another doctor.
Beth Rayner-Zyskowski
2:06 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
I hope Vince Wilfork wasn't shopping around for a physician, he'd be SOL with this woman. She's free to do this and her patients who don't like her policy are also free to see another doctor who has enough compassion not to refuse to treat people who are overweight instead of trying to help them. I hope she loses every one of her patients and winds up unemployed.
Mr. McRib
2:17 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
200 pounds isnt that much, a 6ft guy can weigh that and not even close to being obese. I would think that 200 pounds is a common weight, at least common enough to have the equipment to treat
Mr. Nibbles
5:40 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Fortunately, she has another year before having to deal with the death panels. Then things will really get dicey.
Michael
12:42 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Someone who is all muscle could weigh over 200 but won't be excepted? With this sort of health care philosophy I will stick to a Dr that is more patient-centered.
Mike
7:09 am on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
So much for freedom of speech, Patch Police.
Bob Weir
3:10 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
People, READ the sentence. I quote "obese and over 200 pounds". See the key word that combines the two items?? "and" Exactly, so read before commenting. If you are 6'1" and weight 210 pounds you are probably not obese. If you are 5'1" you are definitely fat, obese and overweight all in one sentence and clearly not concerned about your health. Yeah yeah there is probably some 5'0 " tall weightlifter that weights more than 200 lbs but we all know that's not the norm and not who we're talking about here.
Avon Barksdale
4:45 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Bob, "obese" is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. If you are 6 feet and 210 pounds, the BMI chart has you at JUST UNDER obese. If you weigh a tick over 220, you are OBESE whether you are fit, fat or otherwise. This is not weightlifters and bodybuilders we are talking about, it's normal people. To borrow from a phrase I saw someplace earlier, maybe you should READ some articles about BMI so you can actually be informed about an issue before you spout off in an ignorant manner. here's a good starting point:
10 Reasons Why BMI Is Bogus
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
To whet your appetite, here's reason #1: "The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual."
Bob Weir
5:06 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Avon, take note I clearly used the words fat and overweight to describe someone 5'0" and 200 lbs. And you would have to add on close to another twenty pounds to a 6'1" person to get to the BMI definition of obese, 228 pounds, but they may not be grossly fat and overweight which I beleive is the point of this article.
Mike
5:20 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012
If you have a problem with someone's weight, be compassionate but don't be that arrogant putz that thinks because you pay for health insurance that you are subsidizing anything. You are being subsidized yourself. I haven't met an obese person that didn't want to be thinner, hasn't tried countless times to lose weight.