Medical ethics under managed care

This paper examines the impact of the transition from fee-for-service to managed care on medical ethics and practice in U.S. healthcare. This transition has altered the economic incentive for physician practice and has exacerbated the already existing conflicts of interest in medical practice. While these conflicts have long been a major consideration for business ethics, their increasing presence in the health care profession is now also a major concern in medical ethics and practice in the U.S. This paper delineates these conflicts, their sources and implications, and suggests steps for coping with them in this new contentious environment of managed care.