TEXAS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES
Resolution 409 (A-07)
Subject: Payment for Physician Work Product
Introduced by: Harris County Medical Society
Referred to: Reference Committee on Socioeconomics
Whereas, The practice of medicine is a learned profession, as is accounting and law; and
Whereas, Learned professions are just professions; and
Whereas, It is standard business practice for practitioners of learned professions to charge for their services; and
Whereas, The practice of medicine is a business, as are all other learned professions; and
Whereas, All learned professions have developed formal means to donate services to charity via public programs; and
Whereas, The compensation of a physician's time and work product is not following standard business practices like that of all other learned professions; and
Whereas, A physician's time and work product is not "free"; and
Whereas, A physician is called upon to provide "free" services, including but not limited to physician time spent on preauthorizations, patient phone calls with questions, time spent on counseling families, etc.; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Texas Medical Association implement policy stating that a physician's time is not "free" and that all of a physician's work product and time is justly compensable in accordance with standard business practices of learned professions.
TMA House of Delegates: TexMed 2007