Which principle guides patient care regarding resources and affordability?

• A. We should always provide the most expensive therapies to ensure optimal outcomes.
• B. We must provide care with the resources that patient has and can afford.
• C. Resource stewardship is the responsibility of hospital administration.
• D. Insurance coverage determines all clinical decisions.

Answer: (B)

Cost-conscious, patient-centered care guides decisions about resources and affordability. The best approach is to tailor treatment to what the patient can financially handle and what resources are realistically available, aiming to maximize meaningful benefit while avoiding financial hardship or barriers to access. This emphasizes value-based care: choosing effective options that provide real benefit relative to their cost, and incorporating the patient’s financial situation into shared decision making. The other ideas skew care toward unnecessary expense, place sole responsibility on administration, or let insurance coverage dictate medical decisions, which can undermine affordability, access, and appropriate care.