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Continuity of Care, Informed Consent, and Fiduciary Responsibilities in For-Profit Managed Care Systems
Warren Lee Holleman, PhD;
Marsha Cline Holleman, MD, MPH;
Julie Graves Moy, MD, MPH
Arch Fam Med. 2000;9:21-25.
The replacement of fee-for-service systems by managed care systems offers opportunities for cutting medical costs, integrating health care delivery systems, and improving communication among physicians. Before these benefits can be realized, however, a number of problems must be addressed. First, managed care systems must find ways to foster continuity of care in a market that has thus far proved unstable. Second, managed care systems must find ways to protect the patient's right to fully informed consent even while educating patients about the importance of cost-effectiveness and why certain treatments might not be included in their health plan. Third, managed care systems must find ways to promote physicians' fiduciary responsibilities to patients and to respect physicians' clinical judgments even while creating legitimate incentives to provide cost-effective health care.
From the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex (Dr W. Holleman); the Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine, University of Texas–Houston Health Science Center (Dr M. Holleman); and the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Texas A&M University School of Medicine, College Station, Tex (Dr Moy).
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