News

Emergency response and liability laws
Just last week a Continental Express plane crashed in Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 people aboard as well as a man whose house was incinerated. First responders and physicians rushed to scene, but there was no one to save in the wreckage.

Tragedies such as this have always brought out the best in physicians, who have been on the front lines of emergency response efforts time and again. However, sometimes the simple act of helping those in need can get complicated.

Perhaps you're familiar with the case of Anna Maria Pou, MD, a cancer surgeon who treated patients at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Instead of evacuating the city before the storm hit, Dr. Pou stayed behind to help as many patients as she could.

Fifteen feet of water and the well-documented poor response in evacuating those trapped in the city kept Dr. Pou, nurses and patients in the hospital for four days. Despite the deplorable, chaotic conditions in which Dr. Pou and her staff worked—no electricity, 100-degree heat, limited food and water—they treated patients as best they could in what must have been an unbearable situation.

For her heroic efforts, Dr. Pou was arrested in July 2006, accused of intentionally killing several patients by administering lethal amounts of pain medication to them. Her arrest made national headlines. A year later, a grand jury decided against indicting Dr. Pou on murder charges.

Every physician's worst nightmare is civil liability; in this case, Dr. Pou faced criminal liability as well. Her ordeal illustrates the apprehension about liability exposure and a lack of guidance on the scope of liability that medical emergency responders face. And these concerns may make physicians, nurses and other health care professionals wary of responding during emergencies, according to a study to be published in the March issue of the AMA's Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal.

The study, which is available ahead of print, finds that U.S. liability law is a patchwork with many gaps and inconsistencies that do not always protect health care providers during emergencies. Hospitals or clinics that donate their time, space, supplies and resources to emergency response efforts and individual responders who continue to receive salaries from their employers are at the greatest risk.

The absence of liability protection is of concern, because these health care professionals are likely to be on the front lines as hundreds or thousands of patients rush to emergency departments, clinics and physician offices. They could be sued and found liable for a variety of decisions and actions made during a public health emergency.

We need better state and federal laws to provide immunity to physicians in disaster situations, laws that will reassure physicians that they will not be unfairly punished for rushing to help or staying behind to do their jobs.

No single federal law gives physicians working in federally declared disasters or emergencies comprehensive protection from civil or criminal liability. Some civil liability protection exists, but it depends on the physician volunteer's status and, in some cases, where the physician is providing care.

And state laws don't go far enough. All 50 states have limited laws that provide some level of liability protection for volunteers responding to a public health emergency, but the study notes that more legislative clarification is needed.

This is a symptom of the nation's overall medical liability problem, which the AMA has been aggressively working to solve. Through a two-pronged approach to reduce medical liability premiums, the AMA continues to advocate for federal reforms while working in concert with state medical associations to enact and defend strong medical liability reform laws.

As part of this approach, the AMA is researching and examining the need for medical liability reform from a number of different angles in the form of Policy Research Perspectives, research papers written by AMA staff. The AMA recently released two new research perspectives, one focusing on premiums and another on indemnity and expense payments. Both are available online to AMA members only.

I urge you to learn more about what the AMA is doing to reform the nation's medical liability system. Through a collective effort to spur reform, we can ensure that other physicians don't face the same circumstances as Dr. Pou did. We can help secure medical liability laws that promote access to quality care and do not obstruct doctors' ability to treat patients. And we can empower physicians to do what they've done through the ages, which is to help those in need.

E-mail comments, questions and replies to Dr. Nielsen

1) Cigna agrees to drop Ingenix database
Cigna joined the list of health insurers that have committed to groundbreaking settlements that are part of an effort by the New York attorney general's office to reform the health insurance payment system.

In agreeing to the settlement, which Cigna announced Feb. 17, the insurer will no longer use the flawed Ingenix database and will pay $10 million to a qualified nonprofit organization that will establish a new, independent database to help determine fair out-of-network reimbursement rates for consumers. The AMA has for years alleged that the database, which is owned and operated by UnitedHealth Group, has corrupted the system used by health insurers for out-of-network reimbursements.

The AMA commended Cigna for its decision and continues to call on all health insurers to reject the fatally flawed Ingenix database.

"Health insurers that truly recognize the importance of restoring their damaged relationships with patients and physicians should commit to the solution proposed by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo without delay," AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, said.

Cuomo also announced that his office served a five-day notice of intent to sue Excellus Health Plan for defrauding consumers and patients across upstate New York by manipulating reimbursement rates for out-of-network services.

View a news release from the New York attorney general's office.

3) American Medical News expands online content for physicians
To better accommodate physicians' needs in the fast-changing world of health care news, the AMA's award-winning, physician-focused newspaper, American Medical News (AMNews), is expanding its online presence and capabilities.

The print version of AMNews is moving to a twice-a-month publishing schedule and will continue to provide in-depth coverage and practical advice for physician readers. The full content of the print edition will continue to be presented on the AMNews Web site, which will also present fresh reporting and features every weekday throughout the year.

"American Medical News' convenient and easily accessible online news and resources can better help physicians with their day-to-day needs," said AMA Board Chair Joseph M. Heyman, MD. "The Web site contains tables, charts and useful links not found in the print edition, as well as multimedia presentations and a variety of digital conveniences. American Medical News will also offer greater access to a rich archive of practical advice on running a modern medical practice."

Visit the AMA Web site to read more.

4) AMA leaders issue open letter about economic stimulus package
Physicians received a letter from the AMA—signed by AMA President Nancy Nielsen, MD, PhD; President-elect J. James Rohack, MD; Board Chair Joseph M. Heyman, MD; and Chair-elect Rebecca Patchin, MD—earlier this week in response to the economic stimulus package President Barack Obama signed into law Feb. 17.

5) Sharpen your message delivery skills this spring
Learn how to blend the craft of communication with the art of medicine this spring during the 29th annual Medical Communications Conference to be presented by the AMA from April 1–3 at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. The conference will offer more than 40 different workshops, case-study sessions, panels, roundtables and one-on-one critiques.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta, MD, a past participant of the conference, will accept a health communications achievement award and discuss his career as a practicing neurosurgeon and one of the best-known medical reporters in the world. And Allan Hamilton, MD, script consultant for Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, will share how he uses stories from his vast experiences as an intern, resident and surgeon.

AMA members receive a special discount on registration. Send an e-mail to register.

6) Explore volunteer opportunities across the country
Physicians interested in providing care at a free clinic can volunteer through Third Age Professional Initiative (TAP-IN), an organization dedicated to connecting health care physicians to free clinics. Volunteer physicians and other providers are particularly needed in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta; Cleveland; Houston; Charlotte, N.C.; Greensboro, N.C.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Hampton, Va.; and Richmond, Va. In an effort to address the growing number of uninsured, the AMA Foundation has provided grants to free clinics and encourages physicians to get involved with these organizations.

Visit the Web site for more information on the program.

Visit the AMA Foundation Web site to learn more about the AMA Foundation's grants for free clinics.

7) AMA offers resource for evaluating business models
Are you seeking ways to simplify your practice and reduce administrative overhead? The AMA's Practice Management Center has created the educational resource Cash practice alternatives: Considerations for physicians to assist in evaluating whether limiting your practice's financial dependence upon health insurer contracts might be a viable option. This resource covers the various cash practice alternatives and helps assess which business model best suits a practice's particular situation.

Visit the Web site to access Cash practice alternatives: Considerations for physicians as well as other educational resources.

8) In JAMA: Study indicates some MRSA infections in ICU patients declining
In contrast to the perception that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections associated with use of a catheter is an increasing problem in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, the incidence of this type of infection decreased by nearly 50 percent from 1997–2007, according to a study in the Feb. 18 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that is a cause of staph infections, is a common cause of potentially serious and costly health care–associated infections, appearing frequently in hospitals as central line–associated bloodstream infections.

The emergence of MRSA in health care settings has drawn the attention of clinicians, public health agencies and the public, and has prompted calls for mandatory screening or reporting in efforts to reduce infections, according to background information in the article. Despite these concerns, there is a lack of recent data on the direction in which the problem of health care—associated MRSA infections is going in the U.S.

Read an editorial on this topic.

1) Study: Physicians often override electronic medication safety alerts
A recent study published in the Archive of Internal Medicine suggests that current medication safety alerts may be inadequate to protect patient safety. This is a result of clinicians who often override most electronic medication safety alerts and instead rely on their own judgment when prescribing drugs for patients.

Investigators looked at the electronic prescriptions generated by 2,872 doctors at community-based outpatient practices and the medication alerts associated with those prescriptions. The physicians submitted 3.5 million electronic prescriptions from January through September 2006, and about one in 15, or 6.6 percent, of those prescription orders produced an alert for a drug interaction or drug allergy. The investigators found that doctors overrode more than 90 percent of the drug interaction alerts and 77 percent of the drug allergy alerts.

2) In AMNews: Hospital error-reporting systems fall short
A new study finds that most hospital reporting systems fail to cultivate a culture of safety that can help prevent future errors, according to a Feb. 12 American Medical News article.

A survey of risk managers at 1,652 U.S. hospitals reported in the December 2008 edition of the Quality & Safety in Health Care journal that less than a third of hospital reporting systems let doctors, nurses and others recount mistakes anonymously and promise privacy for those who identified themselves.

Only 13 percent of hospitals drew adverse-event reports from a wide variety of health staff. More than 80 percent of risk managers said they received few or no reports from physicians.

1) Groups solicit nationwide funding to offset high rate of HIV/AIDS among blacks
The HIV crisis in African-American communities is among the highest of HIV prevention priorities. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services, are working with black leaders and public health partners to expand the reach of existing prevention programs, develop new interventions and research, increase testing and mobilize black communities.

According to Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis STD and TB Prevention, African-Americans comprise 12 percent of the U.S. population but account for almost half of all new HIV infections and almost half of all people living with the virus in the U.S. He also noted that while race itself does not increase risk, high prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in black communities means African-Americans face a greater risk of HIV infection with each sexual encounter than other groups.

Visit the CDC Web site to read more about the prevention efforts.

Visit the hivtest.org or aids.gov for additional information.

1) Prepare for health insurer retrospective audits with AMA guide
A new resource (PDF) created by the AMA, in cooperation with the American Academy of Neurology, aims to educate physicians and their practice staff about the recoupment efforts of health insurers through the retrospective practice. The educational resource How to prepare for a health insurer retrospective audit guides physician practices through the retrospective audit process from the initial notification from the health insurer to contesting the audit’s findings.

2) Software that determines precise copay rates becoming popular among physicians
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, a growing number of physician practices are using software that can immediately access patient insurance information and determine the precise copayment rates. The software also enables physicians to predict whether a deductible has been met and the amount an insurer will pay once a claim is submitted.

Developed by health insurance companies, these programs can enable the physician’s front office staff to ask for patient payments at the time of service. An estimated 13 percent of physician revenue comes from patients, not insurers, and that figure is likely to rise as more consumers shoulder the burden of higher copays and deductibles.

1) Take part in an IMG patient-physician communication study
In an effort to expand the scientific understanding of patient-physician communication, a doctoral student at The Ohio State University would like to compare the experiences of international and U.S. medical graduates.

Those willing to participate are asked to complete a 15-minute questionnaire that explores communication patterns among doctors and their patients. Responses to the questions will be anonymous; by completing the survey, participants consent to take part in the research study voluntarily.

Although the AMA does not endorse or participate in the survey, it is promoted as an opportunity for its IMG Section members. Please complete the survey by March 15.

Complete the survey.

E-mail Parul Jain or professor Raup-Krieger with questions.

2) Participate in new AMA-IMG Section virtual congress
As part of the AMA-IMG Section’s new virtual congress format, resolutions submitted by April 3 for consideration during the section’s annual congress will be placed on the AMA-IMG Section Web site for review and online testimony submissions. This new format should increase the participation of AMA-IMG Section members and will allow the section’s resolutions to be included in the AMA House of Delegates handbook.

The AMA-IMG Section Governing Council and resolutions committee will review all submitted testimony and finalize resolutions by April 27. AMA-IMG Section members will vote between April 30 and May 7 to approve or not approve each resolution in its final form.

E-mail resolutions for consideration. Resolutions are due no later than April 3.

Visit the AMA-IMG Web site to view resolution writing guidelines. Call Carolyn Carter-Ellis at (312) 464-5397 with questions.

3) Review the latest AMA-IMG work force report
A newly updated discussion paper (PDF) that addresses physician shortages and misdistribution as well as statistics on IMGs is now available. The paper, International Medical Graduates in the U.S. Physician Workforce, offers information on international medical schools and recommendations for better use of the IMG work force. It is intended to spark open dialogue among IMGs and between IMGs and non-IMGs.

Contact Carolyn Carter-Ellis at (312) 464-5397 or send an e-mail with any questions.

Brought to you by the AMA Section on Medical Schools

1) Save the date: 2009 AMA-SMS Annual Meeting in Chicago
The next AMA-SMS meeting will be held June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. This meeting will provide medical education colleagues an opportunity to network, help develop AMA policy and discuss issues affecting medical education.

Visit the AMA-SMS Web site at the end of February for more details or send an e-mail for more information.

2) Submit resolutions for 2009 Annual Meeting
The AMA-SMS Governing Council is seeking ideas and actual language for resolutions about important issues related to academic physicians for consideration at the June 2009 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. Resolutions are due April 20.

Resolutions for the November 2009 AMA-SMS meeting will also be accepted for discussion at the June meeting.

E-mail Jackie Drake with questions or to submit a proposed resolution.

3) New Graduate Medical Education Directory coming soon
The 2009–2010 version of the Graduate Medical Education Directory, also referred to as the “Green Book,” will be available in April. The directory is the only complete printed list of all residency/fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and will include:

• Contact information for more than 8,794 ACGME-accredited and combined specialty programs and 2,055 GME teaching institutions
• Descriptions and data for specialties and subspecialties
• American Board Medical Specialty certification requirements
• Medical licensure information
• Glossary of commonly used GME terms
• Lists of programs that are newly accredited and withdrawn

Also, this edition includes four disciplines that now have accredited programs for the first time:

• Hospice and palliative medicine
• Medical biochemical genetics (medical genetics)
• Pediatric transplant hepatology (pediatrics)
• Endovascular surgical neuroradiology (neurology)

Visit the AMA Bookstore for more information.

4) Foundation panel urges medical school reform
A report (PDF) recently released by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation calls on medical educators to reform the current educational model to address a rapidly changing health care system and better meet the needs of the public.

The report, Revisiting the Medical School Educational Mission at a Time of Expansion, summarizes the foundation’s October 2008 conference findings and recommendations.

1) Get ready for Cover the Uninsured Week
The AMA-MSS will join a number of influential organizations as a national supporter of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s seventh annual Cover the Uninsured Week, March 22–28.

This involvement is part of the AMA-MSS’s National Service Project and its ongoing dedication to covering the uninsured and protecting access to care. Last year more than 40 AMA-MSS chapters participated in Cover the Uninsured Week events, and local chapters are encouraged to participate this year.

Chapter involvement grants (CIGs) are available to AMA-MSS chapters to offset the costs of Cover the Uninsured Week events and to help pay for other student projects and recruitment events. Chapters are eligible for up to $1,000 per academic year, with a maximum of $500 per event.

Visit the the Web site to apply for a CIG at least 30 days before your event.

Visit the Web site to read about last year’s events and to learn how to get involved this year.

2) Mark your calendars for upcoming AMA-MSS Region meetings
AMA-MSS Regions 2, 5, 6 and 7 have upcoming meetings, and you’re invited to attend.

• The AMA-MSS Region 2 meeting, “Forensics in medicine,” will be held April 3–4 at the Kansas City University of Medicine in Kansas City, Mo.
• The AMA-MSS Region 5 meeting, “Together toward tomorrow,” will be held Feb. 27 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
• The AMA-MSS Region 6 meeting, “Understanding how actions of lawmakers and policymakers will impact our lives as physicians,” will be held March 7–8 at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
• The AMA-MSS Region 7 meeting, “Surviving and thriving during medical school and residency,” will be held Feb. 7 at the Massachusetts Medical Society in Waltham, Mass.

Visit the Web site for more information about these meetings, for a list of states in each region and to learn more about organizing a region meeting.

3) Take advantage of AMA health policy opportunities for medical students
Through the Government Relations Internship Program (GRIP), the AMA Department of Medical Student Services offers assistance to students seeking to increase their involvement and education in national health policy and in the national legislative activities of organized medicine.

The GRIP is an opportunity for medical student members of the AMA to enhance their medical education through work in health care policy. Students must arrange their own six- to eight-week internships in advance, between June and August. The deadline to apply for the GRIP is Feb. 15.

4) Confront nonclinical demands with new members-only resource
Succeeding from Medical School to Practice is a new guide that helps medical students, residents, fellows and young physicians manage demands of training and the practice environment.

Developed by your physician colleagues, this resource features tips, links and streaming video. The medical school section covers numerous important topics, including:

• Choosing a residency program and how to prepare for the match
• An overview of the American health care system
• Funding medical education
• Budgeting and managing personal finances

Brought to you by the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium

1) Submit nominations for Herbert W. Nickens awards
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is soliciting nominations for the annual Herbert W. Nickens Award, faculty fellowship and medical student scholarships. Nominations for all three awards are due May 1.

• The Herbert W. Nickens Award is given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to efforts that promote justice in medical education and provide equal health care for all Americans. The recipient will receive a $10,000 award and present the Nickens Lecture at the AAMC’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Boston. Nominees may come from the fields of medicine, education, law, nursing, public health or social sciences.
• The Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship recognizes an outstanding junior faculty member, committed to a career in academic medicine, who has demonstrated leadership in addressing inequities in medical education and health care. The recipient will receive a $15,000 grant to support academic and professional activities over a two-year period.
• The Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships of $5,000 are awarded to five outstanding students entering their third year of medical school who have demonstrated leadership in addressing the educational, societal and health care needs of minorities.

Contact Juan Amador of the AAMC at (202) 862-6149 or send an e-mail with questions.

Visit the Web site for additional information.

2) Study: Higher proportions of minority patients may provide a more challenging work environment
A recent study reported in the Feb. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that primary care clinics with a high percentage of minority patients, present a more challenging work environment for physicians, which might help explain some health care disparities.

In the study conducted by Anita Varkey, MD, of Loyola University Medical Center and colleagues, physicians at these clinics reported less access to medical supplies and referral specialists than those at clinics serving fewer minority patients. They were also more likely to report seeing patients who were medically and psychosocially complex.

The study concludes that the situation may contribute to health care disparities by increasing the risk of provider biases and by stereotyping of minority patients, especially in settings where medical complexity and clinical uncertainty compete with time pressure. It was also noted that physician factors, including bias, poor communication skills and inadequate training in cross-cultural issues, may also be involved.

3) Apply for the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program, a four-year postdoctoral research award for physicians from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, is accepting applications. The deadline for online applications is 8 p.m. March 12. Postmarked supporting documents and hard copies are due March 13.

The program offers grants for physicians who are committed to developing careers in academic medicine and serving as role models for students and faculty of similar backgrounds.

The program will offer up to 12 four-year research awards during the 2009 grant cycle. Scholars will receive an annual stipend of up to $75,000 each, complemented by a $30,000 annual grant to support research activities. Applications are being accepted online only.

Visit the Web site to apply and for more information.

Contact the national program office at (317) 278-0500 or send an e-mail for additional information.

1) AMA-OMSS resolution encourages health-related educational/training programs
A new resolution has been passed by the AMA-OMSS section that urges hospital medical staffs to include community health topics such as core issues, principles, planning, assessment and other essential policies in their education and training programs. Resolution 10, Community Health Issues in Hospital Medical Staff Education, also encourages hospital medical staffs to establish mutually beneficial educational relationships with community health organizations and local medical societies.

Organized hospital medical staffs conduct ongoing educational programs for their physicians, house staff, students and non-physician personnel that usually deal with strictly clinical subjects.

The resolution recognizes that communities are often impacted by numerous catastrophic events requiring significant organized involvement of hospitals and their medical staffs.

2) Save the date: 2009 AMA-OMSS Annual Meeting in Chicago
The AMA-OMSS assembly meeting will be held June 11–13 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Look for more information to come shortly in regard to this meeting.

Visit the AMA-OMSS Web site to view the full 2008 AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting summary and PowerPoint presentation for the AMA 2008 Interim meeting, as well as its disposition of actions.

3) Download free copy of AMA-OMSS presentation for medical staffs, hospital boards
The AMA-OMSS developed two PowerPoint presentations—one for medical staffs and another for hospital boards—to provide information on the section and its mission, duties and past actions.

AMA members can visit the AMA-OMSS Web site to view and download these presentations free of charge.

4) AMA Annual Meeting webcasts added to archives
The AMA-OMSS is offering four 90-minute educational webcasts: “Transitioning to an improved hospital discharge,” “Keys to the successful implementation of the revised Joint Commission Medical Staff Bylaws Standard MS.1.20,” “Creating a new future for a new day with a revamped organized medical staff structure” and “Physician hospitals of America: Reclaiming quality patient care through physician leadership.”

Three of these programs provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Visit the AMA-OMSS Web site to access these programs and learn more about each one.

Accreditation statement
The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation statement
The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

5) Align your bylaws with Joint Commission standards
Because medical staff bylaws are considered a contract and are legally binding in most states, it is extremely important that they are well-designed and well-written. The fourth edition of the “Physician’s guide to medical staff organization bylaws” contains practical guidance on bylaws development, model bylaw language, information on emerging issues and recent trends in medical staff re-engineering. The guide will be especially helpful to medical staffs as they update their bylaws to align with Joint Commission standards.

AMA members can download the guide (PDF) at no charge.

6) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship
A printable version of the "Principles for strengthening the physician-hospital relationship," developed by the AMA-OMSS and adopted by the AMA House of Delegates, is available online (PDF). These principles are designed to improve the working relationship between physicians and hospitals and ultimately foster better patient care and improve patient safety.

Send an e-mail to order a poster of the principles for your medical staff lounge.

1) AMA-RFS awards recognize its members for leadership
Have you demonstrated leadership among resident physicians or in the area of advocacy? The AMA-RFS is accepting applications for two awards—the Paul Ambrose Award for Leadership Among Resident Physicians and the Jordan Fieldman, MD, Award. Airfare and hotel accommodations will be provided for recipients to be recognized at the AMA-RFS Annual Assembly Meeting in June.

Visit the AMA-RFS Web site for more information and an application. Applications are due Feb. 27.

2) Make your voice heard at the 2009 National Advocacy Conference
Join your colleagues and stand as advocates for patients, physicians and the future of medicine at the National Advocacy Conference, March 10-11 at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The conference features a Capitol Hill briefing, health system reform sessions, the Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service program, the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards Dinner and the AMA Alliance Capitol Conference, winter session.

1) AMA Foundation honors senior physician with Jack B. McConnell, MD, Excellence in Medicine Award
The AMA Foundation will honor senior physician Richard N. Baylor, MD, for his efforts in volunteerism with the Jack B. McConnell, MD, Excellence in Medicine Award.

Dr. Baylor recently stepped down from his position as medical director at Northern Neck Free Health Clinic in Kilmarnock, Va., where he has provided health care to thousands of low-income patients. At the age of 85, he remains a daily presence at the clinic and continues to lobby for free clinics locally, with state government and through statewide associations.

Presented in association with Pfizer Inc, these awards honor a select group of physicians and medical students who exemplify the medical profession’s highest values of volunteerism, public service and leadership.

Visit the AMA Foundation Web site or call (312) 464-4200 for more information.

Brought to you by the AMA Women Physicians Congress

1) Resource guide explores depression during and after pregnancy
The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University recently released a new edition of its online resource guide for depression during and after pregnancy.

This reference provides information on the prevalence and incidence of perinatal depression, identification and treatment, impact on the health and well-being of a new mother and her infant, and implications for service delivery.

Additional sections present resources for health professionals, for women experiencing perinatal depression and for their families.

Visit the Web site for more information.

Visit the Web site for information on other topics related to maternal and child health.

1) Make your voice heard at the 2009 National Advocacy Conference
Join your colleagues and stand as advocates for patients, physicians and the future of medicine at the National Advocacy Conference, March 10-11 at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The conference features a Capitol Hill briefing, health system reform sessions, the Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service program, the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Awards Dinner and the AMA Alliance Capitol Conference, winter session.

2) New Graduate Medical Education Directory coming soon
The 2009–2010 version of the Graduate Medical Education Directory, also referred to as the “Green Book,” will be available in April. The directory is the only complete printed list of all residency/fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and will include:

• Contact information for more than 8,794 ACGME-accredited and combined specialty programs and 2,055 GME teaching institutions
• Descriptions and data for specialties and subspecialties
• American Board Medical Specialty certification requirements
• Medical licensure information
• Glossary of commonly used GME terms
• Lists of programs that are newly accredited and withdrawn

Also, this edition includes four disciplines that now have accredited programs for the first time:

• Hospice and palliative medicine
• Medical biochemical genetics (medical genetics)
• Pediatric transplant hepatology (pediatrics)
• Endovascular surgical neuroradiology (neurology)

Visit the AMA Bookstore for more information.

3) Visit new CME page on AMA Web site
The AMA’s newly redesigned Web site includes a page that lists all continuing medical education (CME) programs offered by the AMA. Programs are listed by topic, format, webcasts and webinars, journal credits and AMA CME courses.

Visit the new Web site.