Medical practice Archives - Page 4 of 4

Michel AccadMay 27, 2015December 13, 2016Healthcare policy, Medical practicecertification, licensingLeave a comment

For those affected or scandalized by the way MOC® programs are being foisted on doctors, the following Wikipedia entry may provide an explanatory frame of reference:

A union security agreement is a contractual agreement, usually part of a union collective bargaining agreement, in which an employer and a trade or labor union agree on the extent to which the union may compel employees to join the union, and/or whether the employer will collect dues, fees, and assessments on behalf of the union.

Of course, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is not a physician union in the strict sense of the term. From the vantage point of ABMS executives, the situation is far better. ABMS bosses can impose enrollment into MOC® without needing to grant doctors membership—and therefore voting rights—in the organization.Continue reading “The history behind the MOC®kery”

Michel AccadMay 15, 2015September 10, 2021Ethics, Medical practice, Medical scienceobesityLeave a comment

[This essay was published in the May 2015 issue of San Francisco Medicine. The entire issue is devoted to obesity and you may find it on-line here. ]

A war on obesity has been declared. Public health authorities have identified excess body mass as an epidemic threat. With a great sense of urgency, they are mobilizing resources to address this preeminent health concern. To bolster the effort, the American Medical Association has recently decreed obesity as a disease. Local, state, and national political powers are now engaged in its eradication and have enlisted the assistance of a number of celebrities.

But does the war on obesity have clear objectives and a sound strategy? Will the campaign be conducted as a targeted strike with a well-defined exit plan, or will it turn into an open-ended conflict with limited prospects for victory? Will the offensive conform to “just war” principles, or will it be mired in moral confusion? Whatever the answers, I have reasons to object to this war.Continue reading “Against the war on obesity”