Document Detail


Retainer medicine: an ethically legitimate form of practice that can improve primary care.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  22041952     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Retainer medicine has become an important yet controversial form of primary care practice in the United States, coming under attack for its purported failure to measure up to professional ethics. Critics opine that retainer medicine obstructs professional commitments to health care access and social justice. Some ethicists urge that society should restrict or ban retainer medicine; professional organizations have yet to take a stand. The authors believe that retainer medicine is compatible with professional ethics and will more likely aid in solving the difficulties facing primary care rather than add to them. Although professional ethics should evolve to address new conditions, a condemnation of retainer medicine is warranted neither by traditional ethical precepts nor by contemporary developments in medical ethics. Any move to sanction retainer medicine under the banner of professionalism or professional ethics will be counterproductive. The primary care shortage will only get worse if physicians in retainer practice leave primary care altogether, a likely outcome of legal or professional condemnation of retainer practice.
Authors:
Thomas S Huddle; Robert M Centor
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Annals of internal medicine     Volume:  155     ISSN:  1539-3704     ISO Abbreviation:  Ann. Intern. Med.     Publication Date:  2011 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-11-01     Completed Date:  2011-12-21     Revised Date:  2012-04-11    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0372351     Medline TA:  Ann Intern Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  633-5     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA. thuddle@uab.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Ethics, Professional*
Fees, Medical*
Health Services Accessibility
Practice Management, Medical / economics*,  ethics*
Primary Health Care / economics*,  ethics*,  manpower
Social Justice
United States
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Ann Intern Med. 2011 Nov 1;155(9):641-2   [PMID:  22041955 ]
Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):399; author reply 401   [PMID:  22393140 ]
Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):400; author reply 401   [PMID:  22393142 ]
Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):400-1; author reply 401   [PMID:  22393143 ]
Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):399-400; author reply 401   [PMID:  22393141 ]
Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):399; author reply 401   [PMID:  22393139 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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