Sept. 4, 2000. There may be more at risk for physicians offering their services through online medical auctions than just being underbid. The nation's largest physician-owned liability insurer is warning doctors that their coverage may be jeopardized. Should these practices persist, TDC will need to attach an endorsement to our standard physician and surgeon policies that specifically denies coverage from claims arising from these practices. Medicine's version of e-bay emerged only late last year.
Sites remain rare, but they report growing interest among both patients and physicians.
TDC's bulletin did not specify which Web sites could be problematic. It did, though, target plastic surgeons, dermatologists, ophthalmologists and otolaryngologists, since they typically have been the specialists participating in these auctions. The insurer has not yet seen lawsuits arising from auction sites, said Mark Gorney, MD, TDC's executive vice president for medical affairs. But he thinks it's just a matter of time. It's medicine, not plumbing.