i don't see it as legal manipulation. i see it was consumer aid. people have been reared to see doctors as Gods and they aren't, by any stretch of the imagination.

i've seen too many mistakes made by doctors to rest easy and know that they're on top of things. that's why hospitals hire "patient advocates" and it's why you should never be admitted to a hospital without someone close with you ALL of the time.

i listened to a ENT man tell a friend of mine that he shouldn't even be in the hospital, after a horrible car wreck, and that his surgery should be out-patient. mind you, this man got a consult in his inbox so he could repair friend's larnyx.....he wasn't the primary doctor....he had no business saying anything to the patient about anything except his larnyx.

medicine is just like everything else. most of the time, it's about the profit......and patients need all the help they can get. i've worked in healthcare for years and years and years.

and just because i disagree with your point, it doesn't mean that i don't "need" and respect the medical profession. i do. it's when things get so lop-sided that i get concerned.