When Corporations Play Doctor

Why did the owners of a residential treatment center try to stop a doctor from reporting a child sex scandal to authorities? Why did they fire her when she did report it?

Linda Adair, MD, tells her story

Protect physician clinical autonomy. Physician must be accountable to patients, not the corporate bottom line.  

A bill to allow hospitals across the state to employ and control physicians passed the Texas Senate in 2009. Senate Bill 1500, sponsored by Senator Duncan, would have allowed a hospital to employ physicians if it is a critical-access hospital, if it is the sole community hospital, or if it is in a county with a population under 50,000.

"The issue is not employment," said TMA President Josie Williams, MD. "The issue is your clinical autonomy. We just don't want a hospital administrator trying to tell you how take care of your patients. As good physicians, I know we will stand up for our patients, just like we have against the big insurance companies. But we shouldn't be put in that position in the first place."

Last Updated On

May 21, 2016

Originally Published On

March 23, 2010

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