American Medical Association

The American Medical Association (AMA) maintains the AMA Physician Professional Data (formerly the AMA Physician Masterfile), a comprehensive database containing professional and personal information on over 1.4 million physicians, residents, and medical students in the United States. This includes both AMA members and non-members. The data collected includes medical school, year of graduation, specialty, practice type, address, and more. The AMA licenses this data to a variety of organizations, including healthcare marketers, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions, generating tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. This practice exposes physicians' personal and professional data, which can be used for targeted marketing and sales by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The detailed profiling of physicians based on their professional history and practice location raises privacy concerns, as it facilitates unsolicited contact and targeted advertising. Individuals can protect themselves by being mindful of the information they share and by utilizing the AMA's Physician Data Restriction Program (PDRP), which allows physicians to opt out of having their data licensed for marketing purposes.