The Council of Medical Specialty Societies—which includes several prominent radiology groups as members—is slamming recent comments from the commander-in-chief, claiming physicians are overcounting COVID-19 casualties for nefarious reasons.
It was during a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Saturday that the President Donald Trump floated allegations that providers are padding totals to make more money. His comments drew condemnation from CMSS—whose 45 members include the Society of Interventional Radiology and ACR—calling them “baseless” and “false.”
“This implication is a direct affront to the professionalism and ethics of physicians and other health professionals who serve at the front line of this pandemic at great risk to themselves and their families, often without adequate personal protective equipment,” the group wrote Sunday. “Many physicians have taken pay cuts to ensure that struggling medical practices and healthcare facilities remain open for their patients,” the group added.
CMSS said it was speaking with “one voice” for its members that altogether represent 800,000 physicians. Those also include the American Society for Radiation Oncology, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, and American Geriatrics Society. The latter issued its own statement Monday, writing: “This is not the first time the Trump administration and Republican allies have suggested the official COVID-19 death toll, which stands at more than 225,490 as of Monday evening, is inflated.”
SNMMI similarly posted the statement to its website on Tuesday, saying it “stands with the council” and its fellow medical societies.
“Although CMSS and its member societies should not have to defend the integrity of physicians and other clinicians during a national crisis, we stand with our members who are tirelessly working to serve the needs of their patients and their communities,” the three-paragraph statement concluded. “These baseless claims do a disservice to all health professionals and promulgate misinformation that hinders our nation’s efforts to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control. Every American deserves a strong public health response to the pandemic based on sound science and respect for those who provide care.”
Others also speaking out against the president’s remarks this week included the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.