A pro and con argument for and against employing secret shoppers to evaluate a clinical practice environment.

A pro and con argument for and against employing secret shoppers to evaluate a clinical practice environment.

Clinicians can be patient advocates, resource stewards, and promote good financial choices about care.

Low-resource areas are heterogeneous and changing, so establishing an evidence base for decision making about technology use is an important priority.

Guidance for organizations using AI tools to diagnose and to develop treatment recommendations can also help clinicians consider risks and benefits.

When confidential medical information can prevent a serious harm to a third party, the patient’s prima facie right to confidentiality must be balanced against the physician’s prima facie obligation to prevent serious harm to that third party.

Physicians can work with their patients to explore less expensive alternatives for delivering health care if physicians welcome the topic of cost during the clinical encounter.

Physicians should understand the relationship between clinical expertise and cost consciousness in making their diagnoses.

A physicians urges practitioners to use cost-effective alternatives to dispensing samples to patients who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions.

The winning entry of the 2006 John Conley Ethics Essay Contest explores the ethical dilemmas faced by physicians trying to meet the health care needs of uninsured patients with limited resources.