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Ethics in managed care
Jeremy A Lazarus1, Steven S Sharfstein
1University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 8095 E. Prentice Avenue, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, USA. Jeremy.Lazarus@UCHSC.edu
The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|September 18, 2002
Summary
Managed care presents ethical challenges in healthcare, impacting the doctor-patient relationship and traditional medical ethics. Addressing these issues is crucial for national health reform to avoid worsening patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Health Policy
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Managed care and cost containment strategies introduce ethical dilemmas.
- Principles of distributive justice are increasingly relevant in healthcare economics.
- Traditional ethical tenets face new challenges in contemporary medical practice.
Observation:
- Intrusive utilization management interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.
- Confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and honesty are complicated by economic constraints.
- Psychiatrists must navigate these pressures while upholding ethical standards.
Findings:
- Economic constraints in managed care create significant ethical dilemmas.
- The doctor-patient relationship is adversely affected by utilization management.
- Failure to address these ethical issues could undermine healthcare reform.
Implications:
- National health reform must prioritize ethical considerations alongside economic ones.
- Psychiatrists face the challenge of adapting to managed care without compromising ethical integrity.
- A diseased ethical framework in medicine could lead to irreparable harm.