The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-04-23
Industrial Unit
And Doctors Are
Near Agreement
Trouble Over Fees in
Handling of Cases About
Ironed Out
By J. c. BASKERVILL
The Times-News Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel

RALEIGH, April 23.-The diff.
ferences which have existed for g
long time between some of the
doctors in the state and the State
Industrial commission over the
fees to be charged in handling
compensation cases were pretty
we'll adjusted here the past week
end in the conference between
the committee named by the
North Carolina Medical society
and members of the industrial
commission, it was learned here
Saturday. For with the exception
of DR.. l. H. Manning, former dear
of the University of North Caro-
lima Medical School in Chapel Hill
now president of the state medi'
cal society, the doctors on the
committee found little cause fol-
complaint and for the most part
upheld the members of the com
mission in their handling of fees,
X-ray and hospital bills.
Members of the industrial COM
mission also agreed to the plan
suggested by DR.. Manning and
the committee, which will be sub.
mitted to the Forthcoming meet
ing of the medical society, pro-
viding for the selection of a Sc
cret committee of three doctors,
TO meet with the commission and
mass upon all contested bills be-
fore they are finally reduced. II
the plan is approved by the medi-
cal society, committee of three
doctors, whose names will be kept
secret for obvious reasons, will
be appointed, with the approval
of the industrial commission, who
will sit with the commission and
pass upon all bills held to be ex-
cessive and advise the commission
as to the amount of the reduction
which they think should be made.
Members of the committee who
met with the members Of the COM
mission here last week, are: DIR,
Hubert Haywood, Raleigh, chair
man: DR.. Addison G. Brenizer,
Charlotte: DR.. Charles w. Ban
ner. Greensboro, and DR.. H. b.
Ivey, Goldsboro. DR.. Paul Whlta-
ker of Kinston was also a men,
Der of the committee but was un-
able to be present. DIR. Manning
met with the committee as eX-ot-
ficio member, since he had APP
pointed it as president of the
state medical society. :,
When the conference opened,
several members of the commit
tee were openly antagonistic, II
was learned. But when they were
shown literally hundreds of bills
submitted by hundreds of doctors
in conformance with the schedule
of fees as fixed several years age
bv a committee from the state
medical society and the commits
sion and shown that rome of these
bills had been reduced but were
paid as submitted, the doctors be-
gan to relax in their opposition.
One bill that had been reduce
was for $3.50 for dressing the
thumb of a workman who had
lost part of his thumb nail IN an
accident. When a member of the
commission asked DR.. Brenizer OF
the committee, what he thought
would be a fair charge for dress
ing such an injury, he said that
at the most he would not charge
more than SO. The commission
member then said that the bill
had been reduced from $3.50 to
$3.50, whereupon DR.. Brenizer
is said to have remarked that the
doctor who submitted it got
$3.50 more than he really de-
served" Before the conference
was over the committee was pref
ty we'll convinced that the con-
tentions of the commission that
80 per cent of the doctors are
satisfied with the fee schedule and
submit bills in conformity with H.
are correct and that only about
10 per cent of the doctors submit
and try to collect excessive bliis'
DR.. Manning, however, who is
not a practicing physician and has
not been for years, as result OF