One of the most prestigious and influential medical associations in the US is the American Medical Association (AMA). However, the organization has come under heavy fire due to its participation in the Sunbeam deals. These agreements involved Sunbeam, a producer of home medical devices, endorsing goods in return for payments to the AMA. The Sunbeam agreements have sparked concerns about the AMA’s credibility and dedication to advancing quality healthcare.
The Sunbeam deals’ ethical implications severely threatened the AMA’s legitimacy and public support. One particularly unsettling example of this problem was the household products that the AMA endorsed as part of the Sunbeam agreements (Nanda & Haddad, 2001). Although the products were advertised as a treatment for several medical problems, there was little proof of their effectiveness. The AMA’s support for these products indicated that the organization was more concerned with promoting profitable medical procedures and patient welfare than with upholding moral principles.
The Sunbeam deals constitute a significant challenge to the reputation and public image of the AMA. As a result of the crises’ extensive media coverage, patients and doctors developed unfavorable opinions of the organization and its dubious business practices (Nanda & Haddad, 2001). However, although the Sunbeam deals created a lot of controversies and raised questions about the credibility of the AMA, it was not the first incident. In particular, the legal and regulatory challenges to the AMA in the 1970s and 1980s were significant factors in the erosion of public trust (Nanda, 2004). These challenges suggested that the AMA was engaging in anti-competitive practices.
As the Sunbeam deals’ legal infractions jeopardized the AMA’s reputation, the organization has taken action to resolve the situation. The AMA has brought charges to settle the issues raised by the Sunbeam deals, including reimbursing the funds it received from Sunbeam and putting new rules in place to avoid conflicts of interest (Nanda & Haddad, 2001). However, the organization’s initial behavior undermined its credibility and raised questions about its capacity to represent the interests of patients and physicians.
In conclusion, the Sunbeam deals raise several issues regarding the AMA’s credibility, including moral dilemmas and harm to the organization’s image. Although the AMA has taken measures to address these problems, the scandals can have a long-lasting effect on the organization’s reputation. Ultimately, it can be said that the AMA’s reputational harm brought up by its endorsement of dubious products harms its mission to advance public health.
References
Nanda, A. (2004). American Medical Association. Harvard Business School.
Nanda, A., and Haddad, K. A. (2001). The American Medical Association-Sunbeam deal: Serpent on the staff meets Chainsaw Al. Harvard Business School.