The American Medical Association (AMA) launched a self-paced course in March 2025 designed to help physicians expand their knowledge of the Business of Medicine. This Introduction to the Business of Medicine is especially helpful for physicians starting their journey to becoming more effective leaders in shaping their futures in medicine.
Accessibility of this knowledge is a challenge that impacts physicians across all career stages, practice settings and specialties. They need flexible learning formats that translate business concepts into the health care setting and are directly relevant to physicians’ daily practice. However, the AMA also recognizes that some information is critical to maintain in its longform format, and so we aim to provide topical resources that may be less suited for the learning format of the introductory course (and planned future releases) on this page.
Revenue cycle management
A physician’s guide to effective revenue cycle management
This report (PDF) equips physicians with key insights and best practices for effective revenue cycle management. Rather than adding to their administrative burden, understanding payment mechanics allows physicians to streamline workflows and maximize reimbursement. This report provides guidance by offering an introduction to the revenue cycle, discusses barriers with accompanying strategies to overcome them, and finally compiles resources and tools for organizations to use in evaluating their own processes.
Contracting with aggregator entities to advance value-based care arrangements: Guidance for physician practices
This report (PDF) helps physicians identify core business considerations associated with evaluating potential relationships with a value-based care “aggregator.” Practices may consider using this document to develop an initial set of questions, which they can then pursue with the help of counsel or other advisors.
Accountable Care Organizations: How to perform due diligence and evaluate contractual agreements
This report (PDF) is intended to supplement the AMA’s extensive background materials on value-based care arrangements such as ACOs by providing specific guidance to strategically evaluate opportunities and negotiate important contract terms. The AMA has also produced two other resources—“Accountable care organizations: Model checklist” (PDF) and “Accountable care organizations: Snapshot” (PDF)—that address topline issues to consider when partnering with an ACO.
Unwinding existing arrangements: How to evaluate contractual agreements
This resource (PDF) describes certain key contractual provisions that physicians should consider prior to unwinding their relationships with health organizations. The decision to unwind an arrangement can significantly impact access to patients, infrastructure, services, and compensation. Physicians may need to evaluate complex legal terms across multiple different agreements to fully understand the implications of an unwinding strategy, including a purchase agreement, employment agreement, management agreement, and operating or shareholder agreement, among others.
Future resources to be added as they are available.
