ARE DERMATOLOGISTS GREEDY

Are dermatologists greedy? A better question: are doctors greedy? The most relevant question is this: why is the subject of physician greed ignored by organized medicine? Certainly, the public talks about physi cian greed. ''Fraud and Abuse Are Milking Medicare'' runs the headline in a recent magazine article that featured the subtitle, ''Dermatolog ist Removes a Simple Growth and Bills for Multiple Growths.''(1) The q uestion remains: why, despite the present uproar over escalating medic al care costs, does the medical profession fail to engage the issue of inappropriate reimbursement? This article explores some of the reason s and possible remedies of our diffidence.