Official Statement from the Academy of Physician Associates in Legal Medicine
Date: February 2025
At APALM, we take pride in our commitment to ethical and legal medical practices, community engagement, and delivering value to our members. Unfortunately, the American Medical Association has recently targeted PAs with unwarranted opposition and malicious attacks. The AMA has sought to interfere with our profession, spread misinformation, or harm our reputation.
We want to be clear: We will not be intimidated or deterred by baseless attacks, misinformation, or efforts to undermine the PA profession. APALM operates with full transparency and strictly complies with all applicable laws and regulations. We believe that the AMA’s scope creep campaign violates several federal laws, including but not limited to:
18 U.S.C. § 241
Makes it illegal for two or more people to conspire to injure, threaten, or intimidate someone. This includes preventing someone from exercising their rights under the Constitution or laws of the United States.
18 U.S.C. § 242
Makes it illegal for someone to willfully deprive another person of their rights under the Constitution or laws of the United States. This includes acts done by people acting under color of law, such as police officers, judges, and public health care providers.
In the United States, violations of fair trade agreements between healthcare professionals often involve antitrust laws. These laws are designed to promote competition and prevent monopolistic practices. Such violations can occur when healthcare professionals or organizations engage in activities that restrict competition, leading to higher costs or reduced services for consumers.
The AMA campaign is an illustration of the importance of adhering to antitrust laws within the healthcare sector to maintain fair competition and protect consumers.
While we respect the right to differing opinions, we will not tolerate deliberate attempts to damage our reputation or impede the ability of PAs to participate in the healthcare workforce. We urge the AMA to stand down from these disruptive efforts and engage in constructive dialogue rather than divisive tactics. Furthermore, we urge the AMA to stop its efforts to block PA Modernization Laws that will allow for greater access to care for patients while further undoing the administrative burdens of tethering physician supervisory agreements to PA practice.
We stand by our mission and will continue to serve our members with integrity and professionalism to ensure safe medical care for all our patients. We remain focused on our mission of serving as subject matter experts and advisors to all PAs and the AAPA in healthcare law, quality, safety, professionalism, and risk management. We will not allow distractions to deter us from our purpose to provide expertise, education, and resources to the medical and legal communities.
For any questions or concerns, please contact our APALM President at admin@apalm.net