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J. Timothy Diegel, MD
Edina, Minn

Arch Ophthalmol. 1994;112(10):1275.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

I read with interest the editorial by Kelman¹ in the December 1993 issue of the ARCHIVES regarding the Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Decompression Trial (IONDT), but noticed some misleading information. Kelman stated that the IONDT is a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Md. The official brochure sent to ophthalmologists around the country states that the National Institutes of Health is the sponsor and that "patient care costs" will be billed to insurance coverage. The patient is responsible for "any other charges beyond what the insurance covers."

We all know that, in a clinical trial, more complete and frequent testing is done compared with the standard of care given in a private office. Who should pay for clinical trials? Dollars are becoming more scarce for research in all fields of medicine. Is it ethical to bill an insurance company for a surgical procedure that has not been . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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