Agents.
Although health care is inherently an economic activity, it is inadequately described as a market process. An alternative, grounded in organizational economic theory, is to view professionals and many others as agents, contracted to advance the best interests of their principals (patients). This view untangles some of the ethical conflicts in dentistry. It also helps identify major controllable costs in dentistry and suggests that dentists can act as a group to increase or decrease agency costs, primarily by controlling the bad actors who damage the value of all dentists.
Chambers
David W
DW
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003284:Contract Services / Q000191:economics; D003363:Cost Control; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D005250:Fees, Dental; D005376:Financial Management / Q000191:economics; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000191:economics; D018803:Models, Economic; D009042:Motivation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011361:Professional Competence; D012308:Risk Management