TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethical Issues in the Design and Implementation of Population Health Programs
AU - DeCamp, Matthew
AU - Pomerantz, Daniel
AU - Cotts, Kamala
AU - Dzeng, Elizabeth
AU - Farber, Neil
AU - Lehmann, Lisa
AU - Reynolds, P. Preston
AU - Sulmasy, Lois Snyder
AU - Tilburt, Jon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, The Author(s).
PY - 2018/3/1
Y1 - 2018/3/1
N2 - Spurred on by recent health care reforms and the Triple Aim’s goals of improving population health outcomes, reducing health care costs, and improving the patient experience of care, emphasis on population health is increasing throughout medicine. Population health has the potential to improve patient care and health outcomes for individual patients. However, specific population health activities may not be in every patient’s best interest in every circumstance, which can create ethical tensions for individual physicians and other health care professionals. Because individual medical professionals remain committed primarily to the best interests of individual patients, physicians have a unique role to play in ensuring population health supports this ethical obligation. Using widely recognized principles of medical ethics—nonmaleficence/beneficence, respect for persons, and justice—this article describes the ethical issues that may arise in contemporary population health programs and how to manage them. Attending to these principles will improve the design and implementation of population health programs and help maintain trust in the medical profession.
AB - Spurred on by recent health care reforms and the Triple Aim’s goals of improving population health outcomes, reducing health care costs, and improving the patient experience of care, emphasis on population health is increasing throughout medicine. Population health has the potential to improve patient care and health outcomes for individual patients. However, specific population health activities may not be in every patient’s best interest in every circumstance, which can create ethical tensions for individual physicians and other health care professionals. Because individual medical professionals remain committed primarily to the best interests of individual patients, physicians have a unique role to play in ensuring population health supports this ethical obligation. Using widely recognized principles of medical ethics—nonmaleficence/beneficence, respect for persons, and justice—this article describes the ethical issues that may arise in contemporary population health programs and how to manage them. Attending to these principles will improve the design and implementation of population health programs and help maintain trust in the medical profession.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11606-017-4234-4
DO - 10.1007/s11606-017-4234-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 29256088
AN - SCOPUS:85038349142
SN - 0884-8734
VL - 33
SP - 370
EP - 375
JO - Journal of general internal medicine
JF - Journal of general internal medicine
IS - 3
ER -