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Related Experiment Videos

The doctor as double agent.

M Angell

    Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal
    |August 6, 1993
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Physicians face conflicting demands, balancing patient care with societal costs due to an inefficient healthcare system. Restructuring the system, not limiting care, is essential to address rising medical expenses and preserve patient-centered medicine.

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    Area of Science:

    • Healthcare economics
    • Medical ethics
    • Public health policy

    Background:

    • The 1990s presented American doctors with a dilemma: balancing patient needs against societal healthcare costs.
    • This conflict arose from escalating medical service costs, stemming from an inefficient, open-ended healthcare funding and delivery system developed since the 1920s.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To analyze the ethical and economic pressures on physicians in the 1990s healthcare system.
    • To propose systemic restructuring as a solution to healthcare inefficiencies and cost inflation.
    • To advocate for maintaining a patient-centered medical ethic against cost-saving pressures.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of the historical development of healthcare funding and delivery systems in the United States.
    Keywords:
    Analytical ApproachHealth Care and Public Health

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  • Examination of the economic drivers behind increasing medical service costs.
  • Ethical evaluation of physician roles and responsibilities within a cost-constrained environment.

    • Main Results:

    • The current healthcare system is inherently inflationary and inefficient, leading to increased costs.
    • Physicians are pressured to act as 'double agents,' balancing patient well-being with financial constraints.
    • Withholding beneficial care to reduce costs for third-party payers is ethically unjustifiable and politically motivated.

    Conclusions:

    • Systemic reform is necessary to eliminate inflationary pressures in healthcare.
    • Efforts should focus on restructuring the healthcare system rather than compromising patient care.
    • Preserving the patient-centered ethic is paramount and should not be endangered by cost-containment measures.