Efforts to Address the Problem of Physician Self-Referral

On the basis of laws that more sharply define the legality or illegality of certain medical business practices, the federal government has circumscribed further the limits physicians must observe if they refer patients to independent, "free-standing" facilities that they own or have an investment in. At the same time that it exhorts physicians to recognize their professional responsibilities, the American Medical Association (AMA) is planning new measures to curtail the questionable business practices of some doctors. The AMA took action after reports indicated that the opinion of its Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs "regarding conflicts of interest, specifically, referral . . .