Nov. 6, 2009 (United Press International) -- As patients are charged more by health insurance companies, they expect physicians to help them navigate options to get the best treatment, researchers said.

Mark A. Hall, a professor of law and public health at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and co-author by Carl E. Schneider, of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, reviewed literature on relevant professional ethics and interviewed primary care physicians who treat lower-income patients to see how the physician-patient relationship is changed by the current trend in consumer-driven healthcare.

In consumer-driven healthcare, patients pay for more treatment themselves and therefore are required to make more cost-related choices.

Doctors generally avoid asking patients about health insurance and finances because physicians want what they believe is best for their patients -- which is not always the most affordable.

However, Hall and Schneider say patients are counting on physicians to help guide them to the best treatment decisions -- medically and financially.

"Doctors need to make their treatment recommendations in the context of what patients can and can't afford, with the understanding that some patients can't afford what they might recommend," the researchers said in a statement.

The findings are published in the Journal of Family Practice.