The American Medical Association House of Delegates approved a set of six principles for physicians entering into employment concerning peer review.
The addressed topics include payment agreements, addressing conflicts of interest, advocacy for patients and the medical profession, contracting, and hospital medical staff relations.
• Payment: Employers should defend physicians with respect to any contractual, legal, or regulatory violation connected to the employer’s billing services when the physician is not at fault.
• Conflict of interest: The AMA states patient well being must take priority over economic interests. However, in other cases physicians should be able to use their judgment.
• Advocacy: Peer reviews should be conducted without interference from employer, and doctors should be responsible for peer review of medical services.
• Contracting: physicians should be free to enter into contractual arrangements, including employment, with hospitals, healthcare systems, medical groups, insurance plans, and anything else that is legal and ethical.
• Peer Review and Performance Evaluations: All physicians have an effective program of peer review to evaluate the quality, appropriateness, medical necessity, and efficiency of the patient care services provided within their practice settings
• Hospital medical staff relations: Physicians should be members of the organized medical staffs of the hospitals they have contractual or financial arrangements, the organized medical staff remains responsible care and must work to improve patient care and outcomes.
