Health care reform and professionalism

With its emphasis on consumer choice of health plans, the current health care debate neglects a more fundamental crisis: changes in the traditional physician-patient relationship. This paper discusses how this relationship is being redefined and what it means for professionals in the future, particularly in the context of managed competition. The paper asserts that the final health reform plan must address flaws in the scientific and ethical basis of clinical practice. It calls for a flexible workforce policy that promotes shared decision making, lifetime learning, professional commitment to improved quality of care, a national evaluation program, and organizations to coordinate these efforts.