title: Does cost containment create conflict in the care of the elderly patient?
abstract: Ethical aspects of care of geriatric patients with orthopaedic disorders include patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Advance directives and surrogate decision-makers are required if the patient has lost decisional capacity. Investor-owned health plans have captured the major share of the United States medical market, but have been shown to deliver lower quality of care than competing methods. A deeply imbedded fear of a government-run health plan with good intentions expressed as bad policy exists. Ageism is one example of how ethical principles may be trampled. The orthopaedic surgeon has a responsibility to maintain and fight for these ethical standards.
authors.affiliation: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D003363:Cost Control; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States