Evening star., 1938-12-20

- %. Affiliated constituent and COM
ponent societies of defendant Amer
ican Medical Association, including
defendant the Medical Society OF
the District of Columbia and de-
fendant Harris County Medical So
ciety, act as enforcing agencies OF
defendant American Medical Asso-
citation with respect to the "Prin-
ciples and Medical Ethics" Said
constituent and component socie-
ties, including defendant the Medi-
cal Society Of the District of CO.
lumbia and defendant Harris Coun-
ty Medical Society, under the super
vision and control of defendant
American Medical Association, have
the power to, and do, suspend, ex-
pei or otherwise dicipline mem
bers claimed by said defendant So
cieties and association to have vio-
lated the principles and Medical
Ethics" Principally for the reasons
hereinabove set forth, defendants
American Medical Association, the
Medical Society Of the District of
Columbia and Harris County Medi-
cal Society possess power to expel
or exclude from membership doc
tor disapproved by them solely be-
cause he has associated himself
with group medical practice on a
risk-sharing prepayment basis.
c. Power Of certain defendants
to restrain doctors from engaging
In group medical practice on q
risk sharing prepayment basis
and to restrain doctors from con-
sulting with doctors so engaged.
%. A provision, to wit: Chapter
TX, Article w, Section of the
constitution of defendant, the
Medical Society of the District of
Columbia, prohibits any professional
relationship whatsoever. including
consultations, between members of
the said defendant society ON the
one hand and, on the other, any
doctor, organization or group rem
dering medical care within the Dis
trict of Columbia or within 10 miles
thereof, which doctor, organization,
or group has not been approved
by defendant. the Medical Society
of the District of Columbia. BY
reason of this provision, and by rea-
son of the power of defendant, the
Medical Society of the District Of
Columbia, to exclude applicants for
membership, and to suspend. expel,
or otherwise discipline its members,
under the supervision and control
of defendant American Medical
Association, said defendants have
power to deter doctors from engag-
ing in group medical practice on a
risk sharing prepayment basis or
from consulting with doctors en-
gagged in such group practice.
Power to Restrain.
D. Power of certain defend
ants to restrain doctors engaged
in group practice on a risk
sharing prepayment basis from
obtaining access to hospital
facilities.
"a. The medical services and the
determination of the medical pol
icles of the Washington hospitals
are controlled in each such hospital
by medical staf, consisting OF doc
tors appointed thereto by the gov
erning body of the hospital and
commonly designated as the 'regu-
lar" or attending" staff of the hos
pital. Doctors on such a regular
or attending" stah of q Washing
ton hospital are privileged to treat
and operate upon their private pa
tients within that hospital and to
use the facilities thereof. Each
Washington hospital also has a
courtesy" staff, comprising those
doctors, not on its regular" or at
tending" stan, who are permitted to
treat or operate on their patients in
that hospital. Except In emergency
cases, only those doctors who have
been appointed to the attending
or regular" staff or to the "cour-
tesy' staff of a Washington hospital
are permitted to treat or operate
on patients within that hospital
Formal appointment to the courtesy
staff Of each Washington hospital
is made by the governing body of
that hospital.
Is. Applications for appointment
to the courtesy staff Of each Wash
ington hospital are passed upon by
the attending or regular staff of that
hospital. Each Washington hos
pital, acting through its governing
body, ordinarily finds it expedient to
follow-and ordinarily does follow
the recommendations of its attend
ing or regular staff with respect to
appointments to its courtesy STAFF
I Nearly all members of the attending
or regular staff of each Washington
hospital are members of defendant
the Medical Society of the District
of Columbia and of defendant
American Medical Association. AS
such members, they know and can,
and do, communicate to the Wash
ington hospitals the policies and
wishes of defendant the Medical So
ciety of the District of Columbia
and Of defendant American Medical
Association.
Society-Approved Hospitals.
26. Defendant the Medical Society
of the District of Columbia has q
standing committee, known as the
Hospital Committee, composed Of q
member of the regu.a. or attending
staff of each Washington hospital,
whose function it Is to communicate
to the Washington hospitals the
policies and wishes of defendant the
Medical Society of the District of
Columbia, to endeavor to obtain
compliance by the Washington hos
pitfalls with those wishes and policies,
and, further, to keep defendant the
Medical Society of the District of
Columbia informed with respect TO
compliance by the Washington hos
pitfalls with those wishes and policies
81. Defendant the Medical Society
of the District of Columbia has ap-
proved each of the Washington hos
pitals located In Washington. De-