A strain on the Medicaid budged as a result of managed care can lead to raised healthcare costs and an increase in Medicaid bills (Shern et al., 2008). The fair distribution principle in such a case is a difficult issue. On the one hand, patients receiving managed care benefit in terms of their health and keeping their costs low. Society does not benefit in general, and indeed the increase in costs to them can be seen as unfair. On the other hand, the benefit derived from managed care can be seen as fair to certain patients. As mentioned above, caring for some patients and not for others on the grounds of financial issues is not fair, while expecting the community to incur increased costs from managed care is also unfair. Again, a careful balance should be maintained between costs, quality and distribution of care.

One of the most important principles in healthcare today is probably Confidentiality and Truthfulness. Patients need to feel that they can trust physicians, often with their lives. As such physicians are then required to not only maintain confidentiality of a patient's records, but also to be truthful regarding the health situation the patient faces. Patients have the right to both the truth and confidentiality between him- or herself and the physician.

Baptist health has clear principles regarding the confidentiality of patient information and records. The facility understands the patient's right to privacy, and therefore in principle maintains that this right should not be violated. For this reason, precautions are in place to avoid the unwarranted invasion of patient records and information.

Measures that are in place to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality include a clear set of guidelines for medical practitioners at Baptist Health. Patient information should for example be used only as necessary and be collected from the patient him- or herself when possible. There are special confidentiality rules according to which information regarding drug and alcohol programs as well as a patient's HIV status can be released. Patient information should only be revealed when necessary for legitimate business or patient care purposes...

Baptist Health has specifically established rules for such a case. All patient information should be treated with complete respect and confidentiality, and protected from any compromise, even by accident.
Doctor-patient confidentiality is probably one of the most important principles of healthcare. Even where the release of confidential information is vital in terms of professional or criminal case interests, it can only be done according to a series of strict confidentiality rules. It is unfortunate that the confidentiality rule has the potential to cause considerable harm. If a certain piece of information is for example not released in a timely manner, it could result in the failure of criminal prosecution, health hazards, or even death. While the principle itself is sound, it is possibly somewhat excessive in terms of the administrative process. In this, the principle of nonmaleficence should probably take precedence.

A professional code of conduct is vital for all medical facilities. In spite of potential shortcomings, these principles protect both patients and their caregivers. It ensures the fair distribution of services and the quality of care according to patient needs rather than patient wealth. In this way, the code of conduct ensures that those in need of medical care can expect the best from their medical facilities. While standardizing such codes has its own challenges, it is also beneficial in terms of ensuring the best care and protection for patients.