Picking and choosing: Navigating the ethics of preferential patient scheduling

Preferential patient scheduling involves prioritizing patients based on factors like medical urgency and disease complexity, allowing senior dermatologists to manage challenging cases while easing the strain on early career dermatologists. In contrast, cherry-picking is when physicians selectively treat or avoid certain patients for reasons such as ease of management, financial incentives, for personal preferences. This practice, particularly by senior dermatologists, can place unnecessary pressure on newer dermatologists in group practice and violates fundamental ethical principles.