The Physician Charter
Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter was written in 2002 by the ABIM Foundation, the ACP Foundation and the European Federation of Internal Medicine. The fundamental principles of the Physician Charter are the primacy of patient welfare, patient autonomy and social justice. The Charter also articulates professional commitments of physicians and health care professionals, including:
- Improving access to high-quality health care,
- Advocating for a just and cost-effective distribution of finite resources, and
- Maintaining trust by managing conflicts of interest.
ABIM Foundation, ACP–ASIM Foundation, European Federation of Internal Medicine. Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136(3):243. (pdf)
Professionalism Task Force
ABIM and the ABIM Foundation recently convened a Professionalism Task Force. The Task Force posited that physician behaviors are profoundly influenced by the organizational and environmental context in which care is delivered. Their proposed model of professionalism, "A Behavioral and Systems View of Professionalism," was published in the December 22, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.