Financial Incentives, and Physician-Patient Relationships Contractual Arrangements

The relationships between physicians and their patients are quite complex. In theory, at least, the patient seeks advice from a physician concerning the most appropriate course of medical treatment or other actions to ameliorate the effects of a particular malady or maladies. The patient consults a physician because the physicians knowledge about the diagnosis of disease and the effects of treatments is generally superior to the patients, and the physician has greater ability to provide treatments. Ideally, the physician would recommend the course of action that the patient would rationally select if given the information known to the physician.

Contractual Arrangements, Financial Incentives, and Physician-Patient Relationships Chapter