Cross-cultural ethics should be regarded by physicians as an area of medical expertise that can help resolve conflicts that arise between the health traditions of international patients and those traditions that are upheld in the United States.
Medical expertise includes knowledge of modern interventions as well as the incorporation of ethical considerations and patient goals as they relate to treatment decisions.
Hospital medicine has developed into a recognized subspecialization area that will likely require board certification once the ethical issues surrounding clinical care within the hospital have been addressed.
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.
A physicians urges practitioners to use cost-effective alternatives to dispensing samples to patients who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions.
The hospitalist model should be modified to ensure that inpatients receive continuity of care and that their expressed values regarding treatment are maintained once they are admitted.