Ethical, Legal and Religious Issue of Fee Splitting

Introduction: Fee splitting and co-management unfortunately are ordinary practices in medical fields. These planning may conflict with the ethical, legal and behavior principles governing the doctor-patient relationship, may constitute professional misconduct, and at times, may be illegal according local low in different countries and societies. Aims: Implications and perceptions of these practices may vary between different cultures but all types fee splitting is unacceptable according medical ethics principle. According the ideas of some authors, full disclosure to the patient may minimize the adverse effects of conflicts of interest that arise from these practices, and may thereby allow these practices to be deemed acceptable by some cultural morays, professional guidelines, or by law. Conclusion: Disclosure does not necessarily relieve the physician from a potential ethical compromise. This article examines the practice of fee splitting in medical fields, its legal implications, the policies or guidelines governing such arrangements, and the possible ethical ramifications. A comparative view between some countries with different cultures and customs can showed that even in disparate cultures, there may be some universality to the application of ethical principles.