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The use of consultation serves as a means of maintaining a high standard of professional care. The American Academy of Family Physicians believes all members of a medical staff should have access to consultation when necessary and that such consultation, when requested in a timely and appropriate manner, shall not be arbitrarily refused. In those instances where consultation or backup is required by the medical staff of a hospital, it is the ethical responsibility of the medical staff of that hospital to provide timely consultation or backup. Mandatory-consultations and/or referrals for groups of physicians based on specialty or department membership without reference to individual capabilities are discriminatory. (1986) (October 2023 COD)