The Dilemma of Modern Medicine In The United States

Abstract

The healthcare organizations in the United states (US) are either public or private entities. For-profit healthcare organizations constitute a large segment of healthcare infrastructure. Since the market based pattern of healthcare services can lead to significant profits, investment in the healthcare sector can be beneficial from an investor's standpoint. However, there can be a concern among the medical community and the public in general regarding amalgamation of business with health care. Furthermore the cost of healthcare expenditure is ever increasing in the US which may be driven with this model as well. The integration of business models with healthcare may lead to standardization algorithms with the expectation from healthcare providers to meet key metrics as well as targets which may result in compromised patient care. This has prompted the provision of value based care to patients instead of pay for service model. However, the balance between provision of optimal healthcare which is cost effective can be challenging from the hospital administration and healthcare provider’s perspective with ethical, moral, logical and practical aspects to keep in consideration. In this article we discuss a few factors which may raise ethical dilemmas for the hospital administration and physicians.