title: Confronting trade-offs in health care: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's organizational ethics program.
abstract: Patients, providers, and policy leaders need a new moral compass to guide them in the turbulent U.S. health care system. Task forces have proposed excellent ethical codes, but these have been seen as too abstract to provide guidance at the front lines. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's ten-year experience with an organizational ethics program suggests ways in which health care organizations can strengthen transparency, consumer focus, and overall ethical performance and contribute to the national health policy dialogue.
authors.affiliation: Ethics Program, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA, USA. Jim_Sabin@harvardpilgrim.org
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sabin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cochran
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D005376:Financial Management / Q000941:ethics; D020793:Gatekeeping / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D007193:Independent Practice Associations / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics*; D007342:Insurance Benefits / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics; D008281:Maine; D008404:Massachusetts; D009513:New Hampshire; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010879:Piperazines / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D011687:Purines / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013450:Sulfones / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution
chemical_list: D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013450:Sulfones; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate