Medical Crime: Occupational Crime At Its Worst

Crime is a topic that is often discussed among law-makers as well as members of the general public. That being said, there is an overwhelming focus on street crimes (e.g., theft, drug offences). Those crimes which occur in professional settings are not given as much attention. In this paper, one particular type of occupational crime is discussed. Medical crime is a type of occupational crime which includes a wide range of illegal activities committed within the medical profession. Some of these include fee-splitting, taking or offering kickbacks, price-fixing, fraudulent billing, and performing unnecessary operations that can cause serious harm. Minimal oversight and unsuitable punishment enable medical professionals to take advantage of their positions. As a result, medical crime is perpetuated. Due to the severity of the harm caused by these crimes and the lack of oversight in the medical profession, medical crime is arguably the most harmful type of occupational crime. The term “occupational crime” refers to crimes that are committed within the context of a legitimate occupation, typically with the objective of financial gain. Occupational crimes include retail, legal, academic, religious, and medical crime (Friedrichs 2010: 97). The focus of this essay is on medical crime, which includes a wide range of illegal activities committed within the medical profession. Some common medical crimes are fee-splitting, taking or offering kickbacks, price-fixing, fraudulent billing, and performing unnecessary operations (Friedrichs 2010: 102-103). This essay considers how medical professionals undermine the integrity of the medical profession by taking advantage of their positions and violating the trust of the public, the serious harm caused by unnecessary surgeries, and how medical crime is perpetuated due to minimal oversight and unsuitable punishment. These three points are discussed in order to demonstrate that medical crime is the most harmful type of occupational crime. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (n.d.) states that “medicine is about compassion, service, altruism, and trustworthiness.” Although this sentiment may be shared in principle, the actions of some medical professionals suggest that it might fall by the wayside in practice. Medical professionals enjoy a relatively high level of respect from the general public and are not typically associated with the term “criminal.” Their high status and shield from the criminal label allow them to engage in criminal activities without being suspected and with only a slim chance of being caught. When doctors do take advantage of their position of power and violate public trust for personal gain, it undermines the integrity of the medical profession as a whole. Healthcare is a business, and doctors might be primarily motivated by profit. When this is the case, they may use their respectable status to engage in fraudulent activities. Fraud involves an intentional deception that an individual makes, knowing that doing so 1 Hogan: Medical Crime: Occupational Crime At Its Worst Published by Scholarship@Western, 2016