Insurers’ decisions about which services to cover are often based on economic models that are seemingly objective but neglect factors affecting people who are economically disadvantaged.
AMA J Ethics. 2021;23(8):E648-652. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2021.648.
Using data from comparative effectiveness studies to inform cost-effectiveness analyses or other economic evaluations would strengthen ethical policy making.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(7):651-655. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.7.pfor1-1507.
Decisions about where and to whose professional stewardship patients are admitted are influenced by federal policies of which physicians might not be aware.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(12):E901-908. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.901.
This process of developing EBM-based guidelines and applying them to clinical care highlights the tension between generating unbiased knowledge based on statistical aggregation and the application of this information to individual patients.