For some physicians, the fear of losing their job can lead to hesitation in speaking out on issues of safety, harassment or fraud. And, according to a July 24 blog post from the American Medical Association, this fear is often justified, as physicians can suffer personal and professional consequences for raising workplace concerns.
Employed physicians in many states have legal protections against retaliation. Until recently, those who worked as independent contractors did not. In 2022, the AMA's House of Delegates decided to work with state legislatures to help protect independent and contracted physicians from employer retaliation when reporting safety, harassment or fraud concerns.
The effort appears to be bearing fruit. In 2021, Arizona enacted House Bill 2622, which extended legal protections to physicians who are independent contractors.
“This was about closing a loophole,” said Amanda Sheinson, director of government relations at the Arizona Medical Association. “The bill sailed through the legislature with positive collaboration from health care community stakeholders and strong bipartisan support.”
Ms. Sheison also noted that this expansion in policy is meeting the shifts in physician employment. AMA research found that as of 2022, independent contractors made up 6.4% of the physician workforce, up from 5% in 2012.
AMA continues to push for the expansion of anti-retaliation laws in more states and has designed a model legislative template.