Back to Chapter 9 Professional Self-Regulation
Opinion 9.5.3

Accreditation

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Physicians who engage in activities that involve the accreditation, approval, or certification of institutions, facilities, and programs that provide patient care or medical education or certify the attainment of specialized professional competence have the ethical responsibility to develop and apply standards that are: 

  1. Relevant, fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory. 
  2. Focused on the quality of patient care achieved. 

They must avoid adopting or using standards as a means of minimizing competition solely for economic gain.

AMA Principles of Medical Ethics: II, IV, VII
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Related Opinions

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Opinion 11.2.1

Professionalism in Health Care Systems

Physicians should hold leaders accountable to meeting conditions for professionalism in health care systems. This includes advocating for changes in health care payment and delivery models to promote access to high quality care for all patients, recognizing that over-reliance on financial incentives may undermine physician professionalism.
Opinion 11.2.2

Conflicts of Interest in Patient Care

Under no circumstances may physicians place their own financial interests above the welfare of their patients. Treatment or hospitalization that is willfully excessive or inadequate constitutes unethical practice.