Key Ethical and Legal Issues in Population Health Management (PHM)

Ethical and legal issues in Population Health Management
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Ethical and legal issues in Population Health Management
Population health management (PHM) is receiving increased attention due to the rising burden of chronic diseases, new financial models, and aging. The rise in the attention paid to PHM raises key ethical and legal issues. The ethical issues can be understood from the non-maleficence and respect for others principles. In contrast, the ethical, legal issues revolve around sharing clinical data and compliance to health laws.
The principle of non-maleficence requires physicians not to harm the patients, but the goals of population health may interfere with intention, raising an ethical concern. According to DeCamp et al. (2017), the lines are often blurred between harmful and non-beneficial for the individual patient. While a population health program may improve the population's overall health, it may result in unintended harmful consequences for the individual. In the event that a physician is caring for unique patients, say the aging or those with cancer, they may experience ethical concerns when standard recommendations for public health programs are applied.
An ethical issue may also arise when the individual patient’s preference differs from the preferred option for a particular population health program. Respect for personal principles requires that physicians adhere to the patient’s right and ability to make informed and free decisions based on their values. However, as noted by DeCamp et al. (2017), sometimes population health programs seek to influence choice to attain a specific outcome and influence the physician's behavior. Therefore, when a population health program is not designed to adhere to ethical principles, it can cause an ethical dilemma on the physician.
One of the key legal issues in PHM is sharing of clinical data. The increased use of technology in health care means many patient information is stored on electronic devices and servers. The sharing of clinical data can improve pop...