The AMA (1) reaffirms its policy that economic considerations should not conflict with a physician’s primary responsibility to serve the best interests of his or her patient and that, if a third party payer or Medicare regulation results in urging of a physician to discharge a patient against the physician’s medical judgment, the patient should be so informed and the physician should protest the limitation; and (2) advocates the position that any entity that imposes barriers between a physician and the best interests of a patient should be liable for any injury that the patient incurs.

Policy Timeline

Sub. Res. 82, A-87 Reaffirmed by Sub. Res. 105, I-95 Reaffirmed by Rules & Credentials Cmt., A-96 Reaffirmed: CMS Rep. 8, A-06 Reaffirmed: CMS Rep. 01, A-16