Patient advocacy can be flat-out wrong.
Sometimes patients turn up the pressure, seeking care they may not need. For example, Karen Johnson of Louisville, Ky., sued Humana Health Plan for not covering the hysterectomy her doctor advocated. From what was published about this case, it appears the patient didn't need a hysterectomy. He has not heard of patients being denied care they clearly needed. At medical meetings, when physicians have complained about tight-fisted HMOs, he has asked for specific examples and has gotten no response.