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Doctors 'routinely' fail to give patients drugs, tests, US managed care company says MINNEAPOLIS (July 9, 1998 1:21 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -- A survey of doctors in the nation's largest managed care company showed many routinely fail to give patients drugs and tests proven to work against conditions ranging from heart disease to diabetes. The survey conducted by United HealthCare looked at computerized patient records of 1,600 cardiologists and internists in Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. The Minnetonka-based health care giant reviewed treatment of diabetes, congestive heart failure, heart attack and atrial fibrillation, prescription of diuretics and mammography screening. It found that many cardiologists failed to prescribe widely recommended drugs such as beta blockers for heart attack survivors and ACE inhibitors for chronic heart-failure patients. Current medical literature says the drugs are essential in most cases to a patient's continued health. Care was found wanting for diabetics as well. Doctors gave glucose-monitoring tests to 59 percent of diabetics in Ohio, 60 percent in North Carolina, 65 percent in Colorado and 67 percent in Texas during one year. It is generally recommended diabetics get at least one glucose-monitoring test per year. Without such monitoring, diabetic patients can go blind, suffer strokes or heart attacks, require amputations or experience kidney failure. United HealthCare spokesman Phil Soucheray said Wednesday there were some flaws in the data, "But we feel the numbers were good enough to show there are areas of concern that need to be addressed." About 8 percent of United's 200,000 doctors nationwide were surveyed. The company plans to extend the survey to 20,000 doctors by the end of the year and by next year hopes to survey most doctors in its network. The findings echoed previous research that said medical care for average Americans often is not up to accepted standards. "I personally think it's a good idea. It gives you an idea of where you stand," said Michael Hogan, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and a physician. Some doctors said the survey shows medical technology is developing too fast for many doctors to keep up. Others said it points to the need for national standards that all doctors should follow when treating certain illnesses. United HealthCare said the information was gathered to aid doctors. "We believe that physicians will utilize this information to further improve the care delivered in their offices," said Lee Newcomer, United's chief medical officer and a physician. Newcomer had told The Wall Street Journal he was "blown away" by the survey results, although many doctors were happy to see how they did. "My initial attitude was that all I need is for somebody else to tell me how to practice medicine," Waenard L. Miller, a Plano, Texas, cardiologist told the Journal. "But I think United HealthCare did something that is important. And they did it in a non-threatening way." By KARREN MILLS, AP Business Writer Copyright 1998 Nando.net Copyright 1998 The Associated Press a new voice: http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm pwp event calendar: http://newww.com/cgi-bin/do_cal?c:pwpc 51/10 - endocarb/selegiline/fluoxetine - [log in to unmask] janet paterson