The ethics of cost containment from the anesthesiologist's perspective

Cost containment, as an essential part of current effort to manage health care, has been examined thoroughly from the perspectives of finance and patient care. In this article, the ethics of cost containment are discussed from the vantage point of the health care provider. Cost-cutting initiatives, however necessary and sound, nevertheless may place anesthesiologists in situations of ethical conflict and ultimately interfere with their rights as workers and professionals. The anesthesiology community is encouraged to investigate the effect of cost-cutting measures on patients and physicians alike.