Who Should Control Healthcare?

Abstract

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is urging stiffer enforcement of decades-old statutes that prohibit the ownership of medical practices by corporations not owned by licensed doctors (1). These century-old laws and regulations were meant to fight the commercialization of medicine, maintain the independence of physicians, and prioritize the doctor-patient relationship over the interests of investors and shareholders (2). Thirty-three states (click to see list of states that prohibit corporate ownership) plus the District of Columbia have rules on their books against the so-called corporate practice of medicine. In Arizona ownership by nonprofit entities is permitted, however as most of us know, nonprofit healthcare organizations are nonprofit in name only. Furthermore, over the years, companies have successfully sidestepped bans on owning medical practices by buying or establishing local staffing groups that are nominally owned by doctors and restricting the physicians so they have no direct control. Those campaigning for …

Keywords

• american academy of emergency medicine
• envision
• commercialization
• corporate ownership
• healthcare administration
• lawsuit
• litigation
• management
• physician
• private equity firm