At this time, only employed physicians can legally form unions. The first effort by private practice physicians to unionize involved 650 New Jersey physicians doing work for Amerihealth Corporation earlier this year. They sought to unionize under Food and Commercial Workers Local 56, claiming that the HMO controlled them to such a degree that they should be considered part-time employees with a right to unionize. Unfortunately, the petition was denied by the National Labor Relations Board. This law, however, does not authorize physician strikes or boycotts .
Physicians are still the most respected among all professions.
Formation of unions may erode the respect towards our profession. The most valuable asset we have is the physician-patient relationship. Our most loyal partner in the fight against managed care is our patients. In the face of growing anti-HMO sentiment among health care consumers, we need our patients to side with us to enact legislation favorable to our cause. The recent passage of the Patient's Bill of Rights and is a typical example of such legislation .