Ethical Issues Related to Fundraising from Grateful Patients

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Health care institutions are becoming increasingly deliberate about philanthropic fundraising given the need to sustain their missions in the face of decreases in governmental research funds and lowering reimbursement for clinical care. Donations from grateful patients constitute 20% of all philanthropic contributions to academic medical centers, totaling nearly $1 billion a year in recent years. Institutions frequently employ development professionals to facilitate philanthropy. The development literature describes various approaches for identifying patients capable of contributing, cultivating potential donors, and engaging physicians in the solicitation of grateful patients, emphasizing that patients themselves may also benefit from exercising altruism in this way. However, little evidence exists to guide the ethical practice of grateful patient fundraising, and concerns exist regarding privacy and confidentiality, patient vulnerability, and physicians’ conflicts of obligations in this context. Therefore, we will discuss how the process of philanthropic development should be structured in order to demonstrate respect for all persons involved, including patients who donate, those who might consider donation, those who do not wish to donate, and those who cannot afford to do so.

Join us for Dr. Jagsi’s lecture on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 from noon until 1 pm in person or online.

Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, is Professor and Deputy Chair in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Director of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan. She graduated first in her class from Harvard College and then pursued her medical training at Harvard Medical School. She also served as a fellow in the Center for Ethics at Harvard University and completed her doctorate in Social Policy at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar. Dr. Jagsi’s medical research focuses on improving the quality of care received by breast cancer patients, both by advancing the ways in which breast cancer is treated with radiation and by advancing the understanding of patient decision-making, cost, and access to appropriate care. Her social scientific research includes research into issues of bioethics arising from cancer care and research regarding faculty development and gender issues, including studies of women’s representation in the medical profession. Dr. Jagsi is the author of over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health through multiple R01 awards, as well as by numerous philanthropic foundations, including the American Cancer Society, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Doris Duke Foundation. She has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), for which she formerly served as Ethics Committee Chair, and the Steering Committee of the Group on Women in Medicine and Science of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). In recognition of her research contributions, she was inducted into the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

In person: This lecture will take place in C102 East Fee Hall on MSU’s East Lansing campus. Feel free to bring your lunch! Beverages and light snacks will be provided.

Online: Here are some instructions for your first time joining the webinar, or if you have attended or viewed them before, go to the meeting!

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