Consumer Group Presses Hospitals To Stop ‘Unethical’ Screenings
Public Citizen called on 20 hospitals to stop partnering with companies that promote low-cost medical screenings, which it says can lead to unneeded, expensive and even risky follow-up exams.
Kaiser Health News: Consumer Group Urges Hospitals To Stop Questionable Screenings
Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen on Thursday called on 20 hospital systems to stop partnering with companies that offer low-cost screenings for heart disease and stroke risk, saying the promotions are 'unethical' and the exams are more likely to do harm than good (Appleby, 6/19).
Los Angeles Times: Consumer Group Urges Hospitals To Stop 'Unethical' Health Screenings
A prominent consumer group is calling on 20 hospitals, including three in Southern California, to stop marketing medical tests to patients that the group considers unnecessary and unethical. Public Citizen said it sent letters to hospitals in eight states Thursday asking the institutions to cut ties with HealthFair Health Screening of Winter Park, Fla., because its heavily advertised testing program is likely to do more harm than good for consumers (Terhune, 6/19).
USA Today: Consumer Group Urges Hospitals To End Mass Screenings
A consumer group called on hospitals across the USA to stop "fear mongering" by marketing health screenings directly to patients. Public Citizen says the low-cost tests -- advertised for what appear to be "bargain basement" prices -- often lead to expensive and even risky follow-up exams (Szabo, 6/19).
