Mission statements offer limited benefit when patients do not have meaningful choices about where to seek care and can be misused.

The separation of dental and medical care is a medical ethics issue because it negatively impacts vulnerable populations who lack access to dental care.

Lack of ethical, legal, and clinical consensus about best practice sometimes combines with a poor clinical evidence base.

Once focused on hospital liability, risk managers now navigate a broader set of enterprise risk management responsibilities.

Framing risk management goals as patient centered and evidence based helps align them with goals of ethics.

Caring for the elderly imposes financial burdens and strains families. System changes are necessary to mitigate these problems.

Physicians need to manage expectations and clearly explain the prognosis of ICU patients to their families, particularly when the outcome is a negative one.

Professional obligation should override personal values when it comes to providing legal medical services.