Requests for VIP treatment in pathology: Implications for social justice and systems-based practice

Abstract

Preferential treatment of patients whom we deem “very important” is a practice that is common in our health care system. The impact of this designation and the care that results is rarely studied or scrutinized. Although we assume that this type of treatment results in superior outcomes, this assumption can be wrong for a variety of reasons, which we discuss here. In addition to expressing unjust preferential treatment for some patients and not others, VIP medicine could compromise patient safety.