title: Use of practice parameters as standards of care and in health care reform: a view from the American Medical Association.
abstract: Guidelines that are standards of care could limit the creative initiatives to find ways of caring for patients which do not conform to traditional medical practice but result in good outcomes. Physicians would likely feel hemmed in by guidelines that constitute an express legal standard of care and would be afraid to deviate from them except under the auspices of carefully controlled research protocols.
authors.affiliation: American Medical Association, Chicago.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hirshfeld
mesh_terms: D000574:American Medical Association; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003363:Cost Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008318:Malpractice / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States