Attitudes of US neurologists concerning the ethical dimensions of managed care

Abstract

We surveyed attitudes of US neurologists about the ethical dimensions of managed care by administering a written instrument containing paradigmatic cases portraying conflicts of physicians, patients, and managed care organizations (MCOs). After each case, we assessed neurologists' attitudes by asking them their degree of agreement with a series of statements. We found that neurologists (1) generally were willing to follow clinical practice guidelines if they were created by medical societies; (2) experienced frequent conflicts of interest or conflicts of obligation in the care of their MCO patients; (3) feared legal ramifications of their clinical decisions on MCO patients; (4) were unwilling to employ deception or gaming to achieve what they perceived to be good patient care; (5) believed that their professional prerogatives and autonomy were under attack by MCOs; and (6) felt that the good of their patients should not be sacrificed for the good of society.