Nancy says, << Hospitals market the AVAILABILITY of services.  It is up
to the doctor and the patient to choose what they wish to take advantage
of.  Just because the hospital provides 24 hr epidurals does not mean
everyone must get one.>>

After my experience, where this happened in my facility that the
physician refused to "allow" her patients' mothers (she was Ped,
patients were babies) to see a lactation consultant, even when they
requested one, I got in contact with Marsha Walker.  She told me that if
the hospital marketed the services of an LC, there was a possibility of
using the "false and misleading advertising" route when those services
were rendered unavailable by a physician, even at the mother's request.
That is one strategy for approaching this problem.  Another, and I think
a very viable one, is to take this issue to the ethics board of the
hospital, for all the reasons that have been mentioned here.  It does
amount to denying patients the right to a "second opinion."  I
understand that the availability of an LC does not mean that every
doctor has to refer to one, but when a mother requests one, and there is
an LC on staff, to deny the mother access to one is unethical and
questionable on legal grounds.  I am currently looking into those legal
grounds and  would love to hear from anyone who has had any success
taking this tack.  Likewise, I will update the list when and if I get
anywhere in my endeavor.  In the case of the facility I worked in, the
reason the physician refused access to LC's for her patients was nothing
as noble as watching costs, but was most likely because the physicians
had close ties to the formula company reps (this is not an idle
accusation)!  It wasn't a territory issue. (She freely referred to the
social worker and PT as well as other specialties.)  This is truly
reprehensible and is more likely the cause of many other physicians'
animosity as well.  The CNO of our hospital asked me the question, "Why
would ANYONE not be supportive of breastfeeding?!"  We all know the
answer to that, unfortunately.

Marsha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Marsha Glass RN, BSN, IBCLC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future
generations as all other earthly causes combined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~John S. C. Abbot~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





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