Annual fees for faster physician access
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Some family physicians charge patients an annual fee, for example $2,500, in exchange for same-day appointments and longer visits, and in return they take on fewer patients overall. Should this be allowed?
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Health systems and advocacy
- Ethical reasoning
How to approach this question
This panel interview question about annual fees for faster access to a family physician tests whether you can weigh a patient's freedom to pay for better service against the effect on everyone else in the health care system. Name the stakeholders: patients who can pay, patients who can't, the physicians, and the community that loses access when a practice shrinks. State the benefits honestly, such as longer visits and less physician burnout, then name the costs, especially the patients left without a family physician when the practice cuts its list. Note that your view may depend on how scarce physicians are in the area and how the system is funded. Finish with a clear position and any conditions you'd attach to it.
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