Physician Unionization

Reflecting the continued move away from independent medical practice and toward physician employment within hospitals and health systems, the 2023 House of Delegates sought to empower the employed physician voice by adopting policy supporting physicians in their decision-making when determining whether to unionize and for improvements in noncompete agreements and laws. Delegates directed the WSMA to provide more information on both topics, demonstrating growing concerns in the physician community that their clinical voice may diminish in today's health care environment.

AMA Education and Guidance on Physician Unionization

Physician Unionization: Might Physician Unions Be a Useful Solution to Help Restore Physician Autonomy?

This is a live activity that occurred on April 3rd, 2024. Join the AMA Academic Physician Section and Barak Richman, JD, PhD, author of the 2022 JAMA editorial, “Restoring Physician Authority in an Era of Hospital Dominance,” for a balanced discussion of the potential advantages and disadvantages of physician unionization in the academic medical center. Also hear from Jay Hochstzein, MD, an attending radiologist at Jacobi Medical Center and 2nd Vice President at Doctor’s Council, a physician union in the New York City area, and Anna Yap, MD, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine who led the creation of a residents’ and fellows’ union while a resident at UCLA.

Visit the AMA Ed Hub to learn more.

AMA Advocacy Resource Center issue brief: Collective Bargaining for Physicians and Physicians-in- Training

At the 2019 AMA Interim Meeting, the AMA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 606-A-19. That resolution asks that the AMA study the risks and benefits of collective bargaining for physicians and physicians-in-training in today’s health care environment.

Review the resulting issue brief.