Medical Fraud

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MEDICAL FRAUD

In this abstract, I will explain the specifics of my research and a detailed outline of my paper.
Understanding the topic of medical fraud and off labeling is important, especially for consumers who participate in the use of prescription drugs. It is imperative to understand what your doctor is prescribing and knowing the specific uses of said drug. Off labeling may occur and recognizing this fact will only benefit a wise consumer and make them aware of the risks of using a drug that was prescribed for a uses not on the label. This topic is especially important during the time of new Healthcare reform. Although it seems like we should be able to trust our doctors and believe what they tell us and the drugs they approve
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While it would seem to be illegal to keep medical information from a patient, doctors are not required to tell a patient that a drug is being used off label. (Findlaw, 2009)
A big example of what off labeling would be Aspirin, though not as seemingly harmful as other drugs could be. While aspirin has been a common pain reliever for more than 100 years, in 1988 doctors began recommending its use in preventing heart attacks. Many drugs are found to remedy ailments other than those they were originally intended to treat, and as prescription drug use has soared, patients are increasingly taking them for off label purposes. (Findlaw, 2009)
With all of the off label drug use comes a lot of controversy as well. While it’s understood that prescribing a drug for off label use is not considered illegal, the debate lies within whether the benefits outweigh the risk.
So what can be risky about off labeling? Doctors emphasize that off label prescribing has its place in medical practice, but they also admit that using a drug off label can raise the risk of lawsuits should a patient have unwanted or bad side effects. In The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Joel Frader, MD states that "Off-label prescribing can expose patients to risky and ineffective treatments"(Vucci, 2009). In his further opinion, Frader emphasizes that although some off-label therapies can be beneficial and even lifesaving for some patients, in most cases, there is

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