AEGiS-WashBlade: Citing insurance, Md. doctor refuses HIV/AIDS patients

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Citing insurance, Md. doctor refuses HIV/AIDS patients

Washington Blade - October 22, 2004
Joe Crea

The legal department at Whitman-Walker Clinic questioned the decision of a Frederick, Md. infectious-disease specialist who says he will no longer treat HIV-positive and AIDS patients because of the exposure to lawsuits and high malpractice insurance premiums.

With the closure of his infectious-disease practice, Dr. Paul G. Rausch said there is only one other physician in Frederick County to care for about 130 HIV positive patients.

Rausch's staff said the doctor is away on vacation this week and unavailable for comment.

"I can no longer assume the additional liability of caring for complex and complicated infectious-disease patients," Rausch wrote in a letter to his patients at the end of September.

Rausch, a hematologist and oncologist, said he would stop seeing HIV-positive patients as of Nov. 30 but will continue seeing cancer and hematology patients, according to the Associated Press.

Dan Bruner, director of legal services for WWC, said to the best of his knowledge, this is the first such example of a doctor refusing to treat HIV/AIDS patients because of malpractice and high insurance premiums.

Rausch told the Associated Press that he is paying $19,000 this year for malpractice insurance and claimed his premium will jump to $28,500 next year. While his decision won't immediately reduce his rates, Rausch said it will help him avoid costly lawsuits and additional rate increases.

"I'm not aware of many situations where there have been malpractice allegations specifically around HIV," Bruner said. "Malpractice rates are a big problem for the medical community in general, but I am very skeptical of an assertion that HIV is part of the problem."

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