Should Doctors Institute Weight Limits for Patients?
Dr. Helen Carter is no longer accepting patients who weigh over 200 pounds or have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. What do you think about her new rule?
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Should doctors be able to institute weight limits for patients as a way of avoiding injuries, or is this discrimination against people who may need help?
The question stems from Dr. Helen Carter, a Worcester-based doctor is no longer accepting new patients who are obese, according to WBUR—specifically, patients who weigh over 200 pounds or have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30.
Carter told WBUR that her new policy is "self-preservation," instituted because another doctor in her practice had been seriously injured pulling out the exam table foot rest for a patient who weighed 280 pounds.
The policy isn't discriminatory, Carter told WBUR, because patients have access to other doctors in the area, including some facilities that cater to patients who need to tackle weight loss. She is also not dismissing any current patients who don't meet her standards, saying that the policy "give them a goal ... the problem with obesity is it has become socially acceptable."
Read the full report at WBUR and tell us: Do you think it's fair for Carter to institute such a policy at her private practice for safety reasons? Or does it discriminate against people who need help from a doctor? Tell us your reaction in the comments below.
Anna Bucciarelli
7:38 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
I believe it is discriminatory and unfair to punish people with a very clear and definite health problem. Having said that, I do acknowledge the MD's necessity to practice safely. I have no idea what the solution is but I feel for people who are in need of but denied medical care.
Maria Karafelis
12:32 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
It is very discriminatory, and you could even say that it is a form of bullying! Why not, let's add to the people in this world that pick on, discriminate and down right assault the obese person! This doctor should try walking a mile in her patients shoes before she decides to abuse their rights. So glad she is not my doctor!
Al
2:22 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Well, Maria, if the patients walked a mile in their own shoes (daily) they would be much better off. Which I think is the point.
Maria Karafelis
3:55 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Al, what would be really nice if you thought about what you are saying before you post something. There are some people in this world who cannot "walk the mile" and have other issues to contend with. That is what is wrong with people, you look at the books cover, but you never open it up to find out what is inside.
ron johnson
5:00 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Al,
I am still waiting for your response. I saw the story on the news and my immediate reaction is the same is the one I have now. It was poorly thought out on her part. I guess smokers would be okay as long as they weigh less than 200. Or, a drug addict. I thought that doctors were supposed to treat patients. By the way if she was really advocating weight loss through exercise, then she should want to treat people with a possible weight problem. I am tired of people who think it is funny or somehow clever to make fun of other people based upon their idea of what looks right.
Cee Virtue
2:28 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
A physician did something foolish with the equipment in the exam room, and blames it on the weight of the patient. OSHA has clear guidelines about not injuring yourself on the job, and I would expect physicians to understand these, but apparently this is not the case.
As a result, the office is banning people over a certain weight, instead of teaching their staff how to operate their own equipment safely, or getting equipment which does not cause injury. This is addressing the wrong problem. Certainly obesity is a societal problem, but it is not the reason the person was injured, therefore banning obese patients is entirely the wrong step to assuring the safety of the staff.
Maria Karafelis
3:56 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Thank you for that clarification, Cee
ron johnson
2:41 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Al,
I walk 3-5 miles a day and I am active in many sports including basketball, raquetball, tennis and golf. I bet I could take you any day in pretty much any game you may wish to chose. I happen to weigh 215 pounds. I hate to see really heavy people and wish I weighed less, but I am not sure why people like you think it is okay to make a judgment about something you clearly know nothing about. The doctor is guily of prejudice plain and simple and she should be ashamed of herself
Maria Karafelis
3:56 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Thank you Mr. Johnson
Andrew Weiner
5:38 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
I agree with Ron 100 %.. Personally i am over weight (despite loosing 25 lbs), and would be devistated if my MD said see ya.. Luckily, i have an honest caring md who lays it on the line, but is compassionate about it
ron johnson
10:21 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Andrew, my doctor is the same way and I have being going to him for almost 20 years. Despite my weight, I am healthy and active and all my numbers and blood pressure are very good. I am sure he wishes I weight less, but I can not imagine him saying, find another doctor you are over 200lbs.
Andrew Weiner
11:41 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
I might as well give my md props. He is Eric Huang of Merrimack Family Medicine in Tewksbury
Vivian Merrill
11:58 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
My son is a 17 year old football player, and considered small at 5'11 and 215 lbs. I don't think he'd be considered obese by any stretch of the imagination. That being said, Dr. Carter has the right as a businessowner to institute parameters on how she runs her business. If she's part of a medical group, the group may not share her philosophy, and she could be asked to leave. In the event she realizes how much potential business she has lost, she can either change her plan, or find that insurance companies are backing her stance, and she won't do a thing differently. If I was a patient of hers, knowing her philosophy, I would look for a different physician, because I would be concerned that she would not treat my son with as much care as me.