Evening star., 1941-03-22
White LIST
1ie-up With
6. H. A. Denied
Dr.. H. G.. Mucutee
Quizzed;; Returns
To Stand Monday
By HAROLD b. ROGERS.

continue his testimony for the de.
fenSe in the antitrust trial of or.
ganized medicine.
DR.. Macatee himself is not a de.
fendant. He was on the stand sew.
eral hours yesterday before Justice
James M. Proctor adjourned court
about 3 pm. until Monday. Defense
counsel, having completed testimony
from five national officers of the
American Medical Association, now
has turned its attention to other de-
PENDANTS, the District Medical So
ciety and 13 Washington doctors
The two medical groups, A. M. A
and D. M. S., and 18 doctors are
charged with a conspiracy against
Group Health Association, medical
cooperative of Government workers
here, in violation of the antitrust
act.
Dr. Macatee followed DR.. Charles
Stanley White on the stand. DR..
White, who also is not a defendant,
denied that DR.. Raymond E. Selders,
G. H. A. surgeon, had been refused
courtesy privileges at George Wash
ington University Hospital because
of his G. H. A. connection. The
reason was professional qualifica-
TONS DR.. White said.
Quizzed on White List.
Outstanding point made to the
fury by DR.. Macatee under direct
examination by William E. Leahy,
defense counsel, concerned the So
called white list" of approved doc
tors, hospitals and institutions, pre-
pared and circulated by the District
Medical Society.
DR.. Macatee denied it had been
prepared because the medical So
ciety wanted to use it against G. H.
A. as charged by the prosecution.
The witness said the list was an
outgrowth of hearing complaints
by the Executive Committee of the
medical society against an indus
trial clinic" The society, he said,
had adopted an amendment to its
constitution providing for the list.
Government prosecutors have
stressed the white list" charging it
was in reality black list" con-
demning doctors and organizations,
including G. H. A., which were left
out. They charge it to be part of
the alleged illegal boycott of Or
ganized medicine.
DR.. Macatee told of his activities
In reporting to the annual meeting
of the Americal Medical Association
that year the facts and rumors"
relating to G. H. A. which had come
to light.
Refers to Meeting.
The position of the medical So
ciety regarding G. H. A. had been
outlined by Dr. Macatee during
conference between representatives
of Group Health Association and of
the medical society at the Offices of
the Home Owners Loan Corp, July
26, 1887. That was the last time
representatives of the two different
groups got together or even COM
municated with each other, Dr.
Macatee testified.
Mr.. Leahy read from a steno-
graphic transcript of the meeting
what DR.. Macatee had said there.
Some excerpts of DR.. Macatee,s re-
marks, as heard yesterday by the
jury, are as follows:
Il think I may say for the Medi-
cal Society that we are in sympathy
with the proposition of spreading
the costs of illness to individuals
over a large group so that the dis
asters that come to family budgets
may be avoided by that group pro-
lection. We feel that if some meth
cd could be devised by which there
could be accomplished economically,
and I use the word economically
in the sense of not only doing it
within the means of people of mod
crate income but also from the view
of keeping the project solvent, that
if some such method could be
worked out, it would have tremen-
dous social value.
Cites Legal Restrictions.
"One of the things that we are
quite uncertain about and we should
like to have information about is
that in many of the States of the
Union the courts have found that a
corporation cannot practice medi-
cine for the reason that a corpora
ton cannot be licensed to practice
medicine and such question might
arise and the Medical Society would
therefore be very uncertain what it
could advise its members to do with
respect to cooperation with such
an organization
Referring to the principles of
medical ethics. and discussing them
in relation to G. H. A, DR.. Macatee
said: 1T goes on to say that con-
tract practice per Sc is not unethical.
However, certain conditions or fea-
lures, if present, make a contract
unethical, among which are:
81. When there is solicitation of
patients, directly or indirectly;
20. When there is underbidding
to secure the contract:
IS. When the compensation is in
adequate to assure good medical
service;
"a. When there is interference
with reasonable competition in the
community;
IS. When free choice of a
physician is prevented;
"6 When the conditions of en-
! ployment make it impossible to
render adequate service to the
patient:
81 When the contract results be-
cause of any provisions of practice
contrary to sound public policy.
Standards for Judgment.
Now there are the seven criteria
which we will need to take into
consideration when it comes to the
participation by any of the members
of the Medical Society in contract
with your organization or any
similar one.
"The other thing that has oc-
CURED to us is that seventh item
in the criteria for the ethical
character of contract with a
corporation. That has to do with
whether it is consistent with sound
public policy.
- L.