Government

Trustees' report finds little evidence of bogus ADA-based legal threats

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 28, 2005

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Incidents of patients with disabilities and their lawyers threatening lawsuits against physicians for purportedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act "seem sporadic and unconnected," according to an AMA Board of Trustees report issued in response to a June Annual Meeting resolution. "It is difficult to tell whether these threats are part of a general strategy," stated the report, given at the American Medical Association Interim Meeting held in Dallas in November.

The report's recommendations, which delegates adopted, direct AMA members who suspect they are being unfairly targeted to contact the AMA's Private Sector Advocacy Group for assistance. The AMA also will post a notice on its Web site instructing physicians on how to report incidents. Existing AMA policy provides guidance on how to comply with the ADA. The Association published a comprehensive manual, "The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Practice of Accommodation," in 1998.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/11/28/gvbf1128.htm.

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