Cost Containment Confronts Physicians

Editorials1 April 1984Cost Containment Confronts PhysiciansSTEPHEN J. MCPHEE, M.D., LOIS P. MYERS, M.P.P., BERNARD LO, M.D., GERALD CHARLES, M.D.STEPHEN J. MCPHEE, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, LOIS P. MYERS, M.P.P.Search for more papers by this author, BERNARD LO, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, GERALD CHARLES, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-100-4-604 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptPhysicians balance two potentially conflicting professional responsibilities: providing optimal care to patients and conserving society's resources. This conflict has been intensified by recent pressures to control the increasing costs of medical care. Physicians now face at least six dilemmas caused by cost-containment programs.First, the quality of care may suffer. Cost-containment programs assume that some medical care yields little or no benefit to the patient (1, 2). Although eliminating unnecessary services poses no ethical dilemma, reducing services of marginal, potential, or real benefit may threaten the quality of patient care (3). Physicians may have difficulty distinguishing between useful, marginal, or...References1. SCHROEDERMYERSMCPHEE SLS. The failure of physician education as a cost-containment strategy: report of a prospective controlled trial at a university hospital. JAMA. 1984; (In press). CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. ENTHOVEN A. Shattuck Lecture—cutting cost without cutting the quality of care. N Engl J Med. 1978;298:1229-38. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. ORANDI A. I cut health costs and everybody suffered. Med Econ. 1977; 209-22. Google Scholar4. MCPHEEMYERSSCHROEDER SLS. The costs and risks of medical care: an annotated bibliography for clinicians and educators. West J Med. 1982;137:145-61. MedlineGoogle Scholar5. EDDY D. 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Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of California; San Francisco, California PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByVideo-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for the Treatment of Congenital Cardiac Defects in the Pediatric PopulationPaediatric cardiac catheterization: innovationsWaiting for the doctor glut, or is the cavalry really coming?Impact of HMOs on emergency medical services: Another perspectivePrehospital emergency services and health maintenance organizationsInpatient Management Protocols to Reduce Health Care CostsHealth care cost containment and the duty to treatLegal and Ethical Implications of Health Care Reimbursement by Diagnosis Related Groups 1 April 1984Volume 100, Issue 4Page: 604-606KeywordsHealth care qualityPatients Issue Published: 1 April 1984 PDF DownloadLoading ...