Opinion by Consumer Advocate  Tim Bolen 

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

The New York ad agency that actually runs the US "quackbuster" operation has to be, this week, taking extra blood-pressure medication, avoiding telephone calls from angry clients demanding to know why the "Plan of '96" isn't going to work as promised, anymore.

Why?  Because the State of Washington took the "Ongom" decision to the US Supreme Court and that Court UPHELD the Washington Supreme Court decision.  This is very good for cutting-edge heath professionals, and very bad for those trying to stop innovation in health care.

For years, nationwide in the US, State Health Boards (Medical, Dental, Chiropractic, Psychology, Physical Therapy, etc.), and others, would get offers from the "quackbuster" scam operation to "help them prosecute cutting-edge health practitioners - for a fee."   The "package deal" would include services to help set up the case, write the formal "Accusation" in the most flaming language possible, distribute the "Accusation," with commentary, to the Press so as to ruin the practitioner publicly,  and testify as an "expert witness" in the hearing.  For the "quackbuster" front-men it became quite a lucrative cottage industry.

One example, I remember, was when little Bobbie Baratz (Robert S. Baratz MD, DDS, PhD) put a $72,000 package together for the Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing (DORL) attacking Green Bay MD Eleazar Kadile, his wife, his beliefs, etc.  Baratz was blown out of the case when Kadile's strategy/legal team analyzed Baratz's Resume/CV and asked the Judge in the case, for a three-day "credibility hearing" on Baratz.  The Judge granted the hearing - and that was the end of the case.  Baratz sank himself with his own testimony.  It was fun to watch.  You can read about that day by clicking here.