Medical Professionalism In An Organizational Age: Challenges And Opportunities

The structure of medical practice is undergoing an extraordinary transformation. The percentage of physicians salaried and employed by hospitals and health care groups has increased dramatically. Growing numbers of patients are using health information technologies that facilitate transparency and enable patients to use the internet and health tracking devices to better manage their health care. This article aims to start a dialogue on how these changes may affect the key responsibilities of medical professionalism: putting patient interests first, maintaining and enhancing physicians' medical competence, and sustaining trust in the doctor-patient relationship. We identify several potentially effective strategies. They include policies to promote an institutional culture committed to professionalism and to enlarge physicians' role in institutional leadership. We also address how the principles of professionalism might guide physician compensation formulas, policies governing transparency, and best practices for strengthening the relationships between physicians and newly empowered patients.