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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159:317-318.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Two years ago, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a physician charter on professionalism.¹ The charter was based on the premise that changes in health care delivery systems throughout the industrialized world threaten the professional values of medicine. It outlined 3 fundamental principles of professionalism and 10 specific professional responsibilities. Among the principles were the primacy of patient welfare and social justice; among the professional responsibilities was the commitment to improving access to care.

About a year after this article appeared, I was called to the waiting room of the clinic where I was working at the time to translate for a Mexican family. I was to see their baby that day for diarrhea. "Please explain to them that we don’t accept their medical coupons," our receptionist said. "They need to pay out of pocket or go somewhere else."

Although the majority of our patients were Medicaid recipients, our clinic . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Michael Silverstein, MD