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Patients will soon be able to access information about their physicians financial relationships, as a result of The Physician Payment Sunshine Act. It is unclear how this information will affect the patient-physician relationship.
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Palliative care clinicians have been challenged to find measures of quality that are applicable to all patients in a variety of settings.
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Electronic health records (EHRs) often do not contain advance directives, documentation of the advance care planning process, or other information that can help guide decision-making at the end of life.
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All practitioners should anticipate and plan for incidental findings so that patients, research participants, and consumers are informed ahead of time about what to expect, and so that incidental findings are aptly communicated if they are found, according to a report from the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.
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The primary ethical consideration when approaching families for organ donation is to ensure that the donation authorization process is voluntary and that it respects the wishes of those who want to donate.
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Physicians or other healthcare professionals occasionally try to impede ethical discussions for a variety of reasons.
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Poor communication between providers and the patient or family is the underlying reason for many ethics consults involving conflicts over end-of-life care.
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Ethical concerns involving prevention and treatment of Ebola mirror those surrounding other public health threats in developing countries.
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There is no evidence that a policy empowering physicians not to offer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is disproportionately applied to vulnerable populations, according to a recent study.
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Bundled payments aim to contain healthcare costs, but some say this new payment model has the potential to incentivize undertreatment.