Where We Stand
Section: Professional Standards
Policy: Patient-Physician Relationship
Patient-Physician Relationship
OMA’s ethical policy regarding the physician-patient relationship is:
OMA encourages members not to exploit the special physician-patient relationship in any manner whatsoever.
Consistent with this preamble and the ethical guidelines of the American Medical Association, it is not unethical for physicians to dispense diets, vitamins and other health care products provided there is no exploitation of the patient.
Consistent with this preamble and the ethical guidelines of the American Medical Association, physicians should not recommend such health products when they are influenced by a direct or indirect financial interest in the enterprise supplying such products.
Consistent with this preamble, physicians should not use their office, clinic or hospital for the purpose of selling products or services that are not a part of the administration of medical care.
Consistent with this preamble, physicians should not use the physician-patient relationship to influence patients to buy or sell products or services that will result in financial gain for physicians.
Adopted at the interim House of Delegates, 1982.
Reaffirmed at the annual House of Delegates, 2011.
OMA should continue to remind its members that it is unethical to exploit the special patient-physician relationship in any manner whatsoever; and that it is inappropriate to receive compensation from recruitment of other medical professionals to sell medically related products or devices in any marketing scheme.
Adopted at the interim House of Delegates, 1998.
Reaffirmed at the annual House of Delegates, 2011.
OMA should develop ethical guidelines that will discriminate between the legitimate provision of medically related goods and services in physicians’ offices, and profit schemes in which physicians exploit the trust inherent in the patient-physician relationship.
Adopted at the interim House of Delegates, 1998.
Reaffirmed at the annual House of Delegates, 2011.
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