Obstetrician exodus in Las Vegas crowding gynecology appointments

[NRSKarenRN]

Pregnant women are not the only patients affected by the recent exodus of Las Vegas obstetricians. As pregnant patients take up coveted appointment times, more nonpregnant women are forced to wait longer for care.

Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nov. 5, 2002

Nancy Allen had to wait six months to have suspicious lumps removed from her uterus and ovaries because she couldn't get an appointment for the surgery.

She says she probably would still be waiting to have the hysterectomy had she not stormed into her doctor's office and refused to leave until the procedure was scheduled....

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Nov-05-Tue-2002/news/19994666.html

[Mkue]

Malpractice Ins. !.. Heather, I was thinking the same thing:eek:

[Pretzlgl]

By the way Colleen, I lived in Pittsburgh for 30 years! Great town, great people. Have lived in Salt Lake for 5. Anyway, a friend of mine's father is an OB and his malpractice insurance is almost topping 400,000! What did he do - switched exclusively to GYN patients, and is thinking about retiring early. Just can't justify all of the overhead anymore. A real shame. He said it's because if something goes wrong during delivery, then the parents can sue and win compensation for 18 years of the childs life. Big money.

[oramar]

Hell has no fury like a HMO that has been criticized.

[cactus wren]

Seems to me that this a national problem. Our small town now has only 2 docs delivering babies....3 quit this year as they felt thet they could not pat the high premiums of malpractice ins....after all every pg woman is now guarenteed a healthy baby....according to the courtd....no matter if mommy used drugs throughout her pregancy....A nd we may be down to zero pretty soon...that will mean that our er docs better take a refresher course on birthing...it`s an 80 mile drive to next hospital...