Question

Clarice, a young woman with a mental disability, brought a malpractice suit against a doctor at the Medical Center. As a result, the Medical Center refused to treat her on a nonemergency basis. Clarice then went to another local clinic, which was later acquired by the Medical Center. Because the new clinic also refused to treat her, Clarice had to seek medical treatment in another town 40 miles away. Has the Medical Center violated the antitrust laws? Was it ethical to deny treatment to a patient?

Answer 1

The correct answers to these open questions are the following.

Has the Medical Center violated the antitrust laws?

Not really. Antitrust laws were created to help consumers to have different providers of goods and services, offering better prices based on competition. When the company bought the other hospital it doesn't mean that they are having monopolistic practices.

Was it ethical to deny treatment to a patient?

No, it was not ethical. What the hospital is doing is not ethical because Clarice is in need of medical treatment although it is not considered an urgency. The hospital has many medical specialists that are not always 100% of the time attending urgencies, so they shave the time, knowledge, and equipment to help patients like Clarice.