Today, the New York Times is reporting that a leading provider of dialysis, DaVita, is being singled out by administering the drug Epogen, to its dialysis patients. This is a drug that is taken to combat the effects of anemia, which is a side effect of kidney disease.
Dialysis clinics are known as profit centers for health care companies. Typically, a patient will come to the clinic three times per week for a few hours of treatment. In this instance, DaVita is being investigated for over prescribing this drug whose side effects are heart and blood clot related. By prescribing these drugs regularly, these clinics can see larger profits from each patient, separate from the large amount of insurance reimbursement payments that they receive. This article (NY Times), "The Dialysis Business: Fair Treatment?", highlights the kinds of profits that can be received and sets forth the temptations that a for profit company does face in potentially over prescribing this drug.
In the coming days, the Joel Bieber Firm will be looking at these potential claims relating to these allegations. If you believe you have suffered an injury from Epogen, please fill out the survey below which will start the process.