AMA forms organization for employed physicians
PRN will negotiate with physician’s employers
The American Medical Association (AMA) has taken the first steps toward creating a national negotiating organization for employed physicians. The new, independent organization, Physicians for Responsible Negotiations (PRN), will represent employed physicians and eligible resident physicians in their negotiations with employers.
About 17% of the nation’s physicians are employed by a corporation, hospital, health plan, or other entity, according to an AMA spokesman. The rest are in private practice.
"We believe the name captures this organization’s essential mission. The organization will . . . be the strong voice of organized medicine exactly where it’s needed — at the bargaining table," says Thomas R. Reardon, MD, AMA president.
PRN will represent its physician members in negotiations with their employers on topics such as compensation, patient care, and other practice issues.
Reardon emphasized that PRN is committed to high-quality care and patient rights. Unlike traditional trade unions, PRN does not advocate strikes or any other actions that would compromise patient care.
"The intent of PRN is to allow physicians to advocate effectively for their patients and ensure quality care. The foundations of the negotiating unit are medical professionalism and the AMA’s code of ethics. Successful collective bargaining will make it possible for physicians to practice good medicine," he adds.
The AMA Board of Trustees named five members who will serve on PRN’s governing board and select the remainder of the committee. The members are Susan Hershberg Adelman, MD, a pediatric surgeon from Southfield, MI; John C. Nelson, MD, a Salt Lake City obstetrician and gynecologist; Columbus, OH, internist Andrew Thomas, MD; Ross Rubin, JD, vice president for legislative affairs of the AMA; and Todd Vande Hey, vice president, private sector advocacy for the AMA.
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