Restoring Medical Professionalism: Physicians as Advocates for Their Patients
Friday, March 25th - Saturday, March 26th, 2022
There is a fee for CLE, but no fee for CME. For CME questions, contact Alicia Alexander at AAlexander@CAPphysicians.com.
Co-sponsored by the Law-Medicine Center and the Cooperative of American Physicians
Free to attend unless requesting CLE credit.
CLE credits - $100 for alumni; $200 for non-alumni. Virtual and in-person attendees can on the day of the conference. In-person attendees also have the option to bring a check made payable to 星空传媒 School of Law.
Webcast Archive Content
Event Description
The Law-Medicine Center at 星空传媒 School of Law is hosting an interdisciplinary conference titled 鈥淩estoring Medical Professionalism: Physicians as Advocates for Their Patients,鈥 which will explore ways in which physicians can be supported when they advocate for their patients鈥 welfare. The event will be held on Friday, March 25, and Saturday morning, March 26, 2022.
The ability of physicians to advocate for their patients is an essential aspect of their professionalism, and critical for patient trust and well-being. Modern medicine recognized this by stating at the outset of the first modern code of medical ethics that patient welfare depended on physicians鈥 鈥渟kill, attention, and fidelity,鈥 and the law accordingly regards physicians as fiduciaries for their patients. Yet pressures on physicians from employers and others have limited physicians鈥 ability to fulfill this vital obligation. One response might be to punish physicians who succumb to these pressures, but a better solution would be to support physicians who resist them. The March conference therefore will explore ways to strengthen physicians鈥 ability to advocate for their patients. Many people think it is too late, that physicians have irretrievably lost this crucial aspect of professionalism, but for the sake of patients and the profession, this conference hopes that this is not the case.
The conference will be open to the public, webcast, and videotaped for later viewing. It will begin with proposals from invited experts, followed by discussion with the presenters, other experts, and the general audience. Following the conference, a report and recommendations will be published in the 星空传媒 health law journal, Health Matrix, and publicly disseminated.
Schedule of Events
Friday, March 25
8 a.m.鈥8:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9 a.m.鈥9:40 a.m. Welcome & Introduction
Max Mehlman, Professor, 星空传媒 School of Law & Co-Director,
Law-Medicine Center
9:40 a.m.鈥10:20 a.m. American Medicine: On the Square
Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, American Academy of Legal Medicine
Moderator: Professor Max Mehlman, 星空传媒 School of Law
10:20 a.m.鈥10:35 a.m. Break
10:35 a.m.鈥11:15 a.m. MICRA: The History and the Current Challenge
Sarah Scher, JD, RN, Chief Executive Officer, Cooperative American Physicians
Moderator: Professor Max Mehlman, 星空传媒 School of Law
11:15 a.m.鈥11:55 a.m. The Growing Role of Private Equity in Health Services
Mark Hall, J.D., Professor of Law and Public Health, Wake Forest University
Moderator: Professor Max Mehlman, 星空传媒 School of Law
11:55 a.m.鈥12:30 p.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m.鈥1:10 p.m. Physician Unionization
Stuart Bussey, MD, JD, President, Union of American Physicians and Dentists
Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, American Academy of Legal Medicine
Moderator: Professor Max Mehlman, 星空传媒 School of Law
1:10 p.m.鈥1:50 p.m. Beyond Morals of the Marketplace: Lawyers as Fiduciaries
Milan Markovic, JD, MA, Professor, Presidential Impact Fellow, and a Co-Convener of the Program in Law and Social Science at Texas A&M University School of Law
Moderator: Professor Max Mehlman, 星空传媒 School of Law
1:50 p.m.鈥2:30 p.m. Strengthening Legal Protections for Physicians Who Advocate for their Patients
Max Mehlman, J.D., Professor, Co-Director Law Medicine Center, 星空传媒 School of Law
2:30 p.m.鈥2:45 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m.鈥3:25 p.m. Health Advocacy Organization: The Medical Student Perspective
Panel of Law and Medical Students, 星空传媒
Moderator: Professor Max Mehlman, 星空传媒 School of Law
3:25 p.m.鈥5 p.m. Discussion: Additional Steps to Support Physician Advocacy
Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, American Academy of Legal Medicine
Max Mehlman, JD, Professor, Co-Director Law Medicine Center, 星空传媒 School of Law
Saturday, March 26
8鈥8:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9鈥10:45 a.m. Identifying Promising Directions for the Future
Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, American Academy of Legal Medicine
Max Mehlman, JD, Professor, Co-Director Law Medicine Center, 星空传媒 School of Law
10:45 a.m.鈥11 a.m. Break
11 a.m.鈥揘oon Identifying Promising Directions for the Future (Continued)
Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, American Academy of Legal Medicine
Max Mehlman, JD, Professor, Co-Director Law Medicine Center, 星空传媒
University School of Law
Noon鈥12:45 p.m. Effectuating Positive Change
Robert Bitonte, MD, JD, American Academy of Legal Medicine
Max Mehlman, JD, Professor, Co-Director Law Medicine Center, 星空传媒 School of Law
12:45 p.m.鈥1 p.m. Closing Remarks
Speaker Bios
Individuals attending 星空传媒 events are expected to be fully vaccinated, including booster if eligible. Masks are not required at this time, but we respect the choices of those who elect to wear them. University leaders continue to monitor pandemic developments and will adjust health protocols as circumstances warrant.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Law-Medicine Center and the Cooperative of American Physicians.
Event Location
In-person and virtual options
星空传媒 School of Law
George Gund Hall
Room A59, Moot Courtroom
11075 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106