Reporting Ethical Violations
 
The AMA and its Code of Medical Ethics have always maintained that physicians should practice medicine with a compassionate and respectful attitude towards patients, family members, and colleagues. If you wish to report an ethical violation regarding your experience, you must do so locally. Reports of ethical violations are more appropriately and more efficiently handled at a local level through organizations such as the Duval County Medical Society.

To report an ethical violation there are a number of options that can be considered:

  1. You may want to approach your physician and explain your concerns, perhaps bringing to his or her attention the relevant ethics opinions from the Code of Medical Ethics. (To review the complete AMA Code of Medical Ethics, click here.) 
     
  2. You may choose to report the behavior to another physician or group of physicians who work with your physician. Depending on the nature of the concern, reporting to a health organization or health insurance plan is also an option. A number of these groups have grievance mechanisms in place for patients to lodge complaints.
     
  3. You may register a complaint against your physician through the local medical society or state licensing board. These organizations have appropriate bodies to initiate physician reviews at the local level. If appropriate, the licensing board can take legal action regarding the physician's license to practice medicine.  For more information on filing a grievance with the Duval County Medical Society, e-mail the DCMS Membership Director or call the Duval County Medical Society at (904) 355-6561.

Click on the links below for the county medical societies in Florida and the state of Florida licensing board. For other states, the AMA has a list of state medical societies and licensing boards.

Florida Medical Association Online

Florida Department of Health

AMA Medical Association - Ethics Section
 

Adapted from the American Medical Association
August, 2002
 

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