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CITIZEN PETITION to Minnesota Legislators

Opposing Creation of a Medical Decision-Making Bureaucracy
in State Government (2004 and 2005 MN Laws)

I, the undersigned citizen, oppose government-issued treatment directives found in MN Statutes 62J.43 (“Best practices and quality improvement”), M.S. 256B.072 (“Performance Reporting and Quality Improvement System”) and 2005 House File 139 (“Limiting Coverage of Health Care Services…” – Art. 8, Sec. 82) because they empower government bureaucrats to:
  • Ration Medical Care: Government must not have the final say on what constitutes "best medical practices" or "evidence-based" health care. Doctors must not be required to practice medicine as determined by the personal values, political preferences, biased judgments and corporate agendas of HMOs, consensus committees, and government bureaucrats.

  • Coerce and Intimidate Doctors: Government bureaucrats must not be allowed to collaborate with health plans and other organizations to track and monitor health care providers, and publicly report health care provider adherence to government-issued treatment directives. This authority and these actions infringe on patient rights and professional autonomy…and they are inconsistent with a free society.

  • Violate Privacy Rights: Government must not build statewide electronic medical record systems to facilitate government tracking and reporting of patient care—and physician adherence to government-issued treatment directives. Patients have a right to keep their private medical records free from government inspection, assessment, or collection.

  • Create Conflicts of Interest: Government agencies must not be allowed to provide "performance-based" bonuses and financial incentives to those who conform to governmentissued treatment directives. Such tactics threaten the patient-doctor relationship, violate the private contract between patient and doctor, create hidden conflicts of interest, and encourage breach of medical ethics and violation of the Hippocratic Oath.

  • Restrict Innovative Treatment: Government bureaucrats must not be authorized to direct the medical treatment of patients. Standardization of medical practice according to government-issued treatment directives will discourage doctors from thinking "outside the box," or providing the innovative and individualized patient care their patients need.

Please deliver this signed Citizen petition to Governor Pawlenty and legislative leadership.

    YES, I oppose 'government-directed health care' initiatives outlined above.
    I am also a Healthcare Professional (Please enter type below)
    Name:
    Date:
    Address:
    City:
    State:
    Zip:
    Phone:
    Email:
     
    Note: Your information entered is not shared with any third party organizations.

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Citizens' Council on Health Care, 1954 University Ave. W, Ste. 8, St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651-646-8935; Email: info@cchconline.org
COMPLETE ONLINE FORM or FAX to CCHC: #651-646-0100