The American Medical Association is considering supporting a new idea which could radically change the way in which the healthcare industry operates. Officials want legislation that would prevent corporations or hospitals from directly hiring doctors. The AMA board of trustees endorsed the proposal this week. The argument is that corporations influence physician independence, potentially impacting patient care. The logistical problems any such requirement would cause for hospitals and other healthcare providers, of course, would be significant.
The news of the AMA proposal provoked anger from some observers and ridicule from others, who called the idea a strange one. "This doesn't make sense,'' said Frank Sacco, CEO of the South Broward Hospital District. "They're completely out of touch with the physicians of this country."
- see this story from the Miami Herald