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As Melissa Rivers prepares a lawsuit for damages against the clinic that performed her mother’s fatal surgery, a new report released yesterday details what went wrong with her procedure.
A 22-page report issued yesterday said the clinic where Joan Rivers received care made “major mistakes.” Violations include:
- failure to recognize deteriorating vital signs
- improper regulation of the dosage of Propofol
- failure to obtain consent for each procedure
- not cared for by authorized physicians
- and perhaps most telling, a staff member taking a picture while sedated
The report clearly indicates that, at least for Ms. Rivers, she received celebrity treatment that might have cost her life. We asked our physicians about celebrity treatment, and they had a lot to say about it.
Do Celebrities Deserve Different Treatment?
Some physicians found deferential treatment to be against the idea of being a doctor. The goal is to give everyone the best medicine, period. One anesthesiologist wrote, “I told the CEO of a Fortune 500 company that he’ll get my best effort, just like the homeless guy I took care of right before him.”
An oncologist echoed that sentiment strongly, “When VIPs in need of care enter my realm, I bend over backward not to cut corners. It is a superstition of mine based on a Palmer Slogan, “only the very rich can afford poor healthcare.” Every patient deserves the best efforts I can give them, and there is ALWAYS a cost to cutting corners for anyone.”
Some doctors acknowledged there are reasons to treat celebrities differently, but it’s more about the mechanics of practice management than patient treatment options. An Emergency Medicine doctor wrote, “We get a fair amount of celebrities where I work, some VERY famous. The majority get a room quickly and seen within minutes of arrival. It’s a perk of celebrity, but it also keeps the ER functional. The treatment is the same. I do have to say the vast majority of them have been very decent, patient, and cooperative.”
Some specialties lend themselves to a higher level of celebrity patients. One in particular is Otolaryngology: a doctor wrote, “It really isn’t as cut and dried as ‘treat every patient the same,’ because not every patient has the same needs. Would I treat my next-door neighbor’s voice problems the same as the Bono’s if he was in town for a concert and needed to perform tonight? I don’t think anyone would.”
VIP Syndrome
One cardiologist described what sometimes happens when doctors treat celebrities. “There is a name for this, the VIP syndrome. It is often doing either slightly more or slightly less often at the request of the famous. Alternatively, the physician tries to do more to make sure the procedure will be successful. Unfortunately, things tend to go wrong in these circumstances the most.”
Having famous parents can have an impact on your care as well, one pediatrician wrote, “I covered a practice with lots of household names. The parents brought their kids in and were perfectly normal. The only issue was they were constantly refusing immunizations. They were nice about it, however. It was time consuming to talk about why these immunizations are recommended, the risks of the diseases, etc. They also needed to sign a form they had refused immunizations.”
An otarologist summed up the pitfalls of celebrity and medicine. “By human nature, doctors are just as awe-struck by celebrities as anyone else. Many times celebrities are treated as royalty, and there are many celebrities that expect it—-and demand it. The problem when too many rules are bent to please the celebrity can be fatal. We don’t tell them how to perform and do their business—therefore the celebrity should not command what we do—-especially if you bend rules or push the envelope.”
What do you think about celebrity status and medical treatment? Are there times when treating celebrities differently makes sense such as a singer with a throat problem or a busy urban Emergency Room suddenly dealing with a celebrity? What controls should be in place to protect the famous? If you’re an M.D. or D.O. you can see the full conversation inside Sermo.
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