Ronald M. Davis, MD
Helping smokers quit
We’ve made great progress in tobacco control in the more than four decades since the U.S. Surgeon General’s landmark 1964 report (PDF, 25MB) confirmed the causal link between smoking and lung cancer. A 2006 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that smoking prevalence among adults since then has been cut in half, declining from 42 percent in the mid-1960s to about 20 percent today.
Despite this drop, tobacco use remains a serious health threat. Forty-five million adults in the United States continue to smoke, and tobacco use remains the nation’s leading preventable cause of death. Smoking causes one out of every five deaths in the U.S. each year, and about 440,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illness annually.
Tobacco dependence is a chronic condition that often requires repeated intervention. Studies have found that at least 70 percent of smokers in the U.S. see a doctor each year, so physicians are in a prime position to help these patients quit smoking. A number of effective, evidence-based tobacco dependence treatments are at our disposal that are proven to help people quit, including a newly updated clinical practice guideline just released by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS).
Read more>>
Please send comments, questions, and replies to amaprez@ama-assn.org.
eVoice®
AMA eVoice is your regular update on the most important health care issues and recent AMA activities.
The AMA is committed to communication. We encourage you to help us spread the word by forwarding AMA eVoice to your colleagues.
Your news interests
Sign up to receive customized AMA eVoice messages.
Faculty practice physician issues
1) AMA Web conference to cover financing EMR systems
2) In AMNews: Economics of organ donation—patients buying organs over the Internet
Group practice physician issues
1) CME and CEU credits available for practice management Web conferences
2) In AMNews: Researchers focus on new antibiotics for resistant infections
International medical graduate issues
1) There’s still time—vote in the AMA-IMG Section Governing Council election by May 14
2) AMA-IMG Section resolutions due today, May 8
3) Stay informed: Register for AMA-IMG Section Annual Meeting activities today
Medical school news
1) Last chance to register for AMA-SMS Annual Meeting
2) AMA Foundation scholarships support students
3) Update: Recent USMLE announcements
Medical student issues
1) Mark your calendar: 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting deadlines
2) Reserve your hotel room now for the 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting
3) Check out the latest “Medical student insider”
4) Chapter of the Week: University of South Carolina School of Medicine
5) Nominate your mentor for the AMA-WPC Physician Mentor Recognition Program
Minority health issues and professional concerns of minority physicians
1) Minority Scholars Award recipient honors others
2) There’s still time to choose: AMA-MAC election ends May 14
Organized medical staff issues
1) Book hotel and flight reservations for annual meeting by May 12
2) Register online today for 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting
3) Applications for 2008–2010 AMA-OMSS Governing Council due May 14
4) AMA guide assists physicians in drafting, amending bylaws
5) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship; print your copy today
Resident and fellow issues
1) Apply for AMA-RFS Governing Council
2) Be a leader on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
3) Reserve your hotel room now for the AMA-RFS Annual Assembly Meeting
4) AMA practice tip: Improving practice efficiencies with electronic claims submissions
5) Deadline extended for surgical caucus position
Senior physicians issues
1) AMA board appoints two physicians to AMA-SPG Governing Council
2) Report: Seniors and baby boomers at risk for HIV and STDs
Women physician and women's health issues
1) In AMNews Quick View: Part-time physicians
2) Don’t wait; vote in AMA-WPC Governing Council election today
3) Mark your calendar: Success for Women in Medicine conference set for June 7
Young physician issues
1) In the Wall Street Journal: Young physicians want to balance work and family
2) Join AMA-YPS in Chicago
3) Young physicians: RSVP now for AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee Caucus
4) AMA-YPS gears up for its 2008 governing council elections
5) Should I accept a technology donation?
6) On Sermo: Newly-launched jobs board enables physician-to-physician networking
7) Call for papers for JAMA theme issue on health of the nation
General AMA news:
1) Clock ticking on Medicare payment
2) Pathologists’ victory in fair compensation lawsuit to stand
3) AMA urges Congress to save specialty hospitals for patients
4) Save the date: AMA sections and special groups to meet in June
5) Virtual Mentor looks at system constraints on optimal care
6) On Sermo: A way to make some extra cash?
7) In JAMA: Much of the increased risk of death from smoking reduced within several years after quitting
Your news interests
Sign up to receive customized AMA eVoice messages.
Faculty practice physician issues
1) AMA Web conference to cover financing EMR systems
In August 2006 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services passed federal rules making it possible for hospitals, health systems and health plans to donate health information technology (HIT) to physician practices. Given this recent trend, it’s important for physicians and practice managers to understand the details associated with HIT donation agreements and Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute requirements. To help, the AMA will host the Web conference “Financing electronic health record (EHR/EMR) systems: Should your practice accept a donation?”
All physicians and practice staff are invited to participate in this live, hour-long session from 1 to 2 p.m. CST on May 14. The program, featuring Heidi Echols from McDermott Will & Emery along with Jay Want, MD, and Jeff Archambeau from Physician Health Partners, offers continuing medical education credit.
Learn more and register. Registration is $95 for AMA members and $150 for nonmembers.
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 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
2) In AMNews: Economics of organ donation—patients buying organs over the Internet
A May 5 article in American Medical News (AMNews) discusses transplant ethics as patients plead for organs over the Internet. At the recent Frontiers of Ethics in Transplantation conference, Douglas Hanto, MD, said that the patients who publicly solicit strangers to donate are jumping ahead in the organ waiting line. It is within donors’ discretion to provide their organs to whomever they would like, even if the recipient is low in the organ registry. Transplant centers are only required to ensure that the donor does not pay and is informed of his or her medical risks.
View the AMNews article.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Group practice physician issues
1) CME and CEU credits available for practice management Web conferences
On July 31 the AMA will host a 90-minute Web conference entitled “Denials management: Winning the battle of low pays, no pays and stall tactics.” This Web conference focuses on the variability in denials that has made it difficult for practices to identify key areas needed to enhance revenue and provides the strategies needed to develop a practice-specific starting point for process improvement. Registration is $125 for AMA members ($200 for nonmembers) and includes continuing medical education (CME) credit of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ or 1.5 continuing education units (CEU) toward renewal of Professional Association of Health Care Office Management Medical Manager certification. This program is geared toward doctors and practice managers in small- to medium-sized group practices and features speaker Crystal Reeves, a principal with the health care consulting firm the Coker Group.
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.
2) In AMNews: Researchers focus on new antibiotics for resistant infections
As bacteria becomes more resistant to an increasing number of antibiotics, researchers are focusing on new and more effective antimicrobials. The list of diseases that are becoming more difficult to fight include tuberculosis, staph and strep infections, malaria, head lice and meningococcal diseases. The AMA has helped to educate physicians about the importance of appropriately prescribing antibiotics and informed patients about the dangers of antimicrobial resistance.
In a May 5 article in American Medical News (AMNews), researchers highlight two unorthodox approaches to be used as possible antibiotics in the future, one showing that clay has some effectiveness in killing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Another study focuses on the use of alligator blood proteins as both antibacterial and antifungal agents.
View the AMNews article.
>>Return to your news interest contents
International medical graduate issues
1) There’s still time—vote in the AMA-IMG Section Governing Council election by May 14
Cast your vote and help choose the newest members of the AMA-IMG Section Governing Council election, taking place through May 14. IMG physicians who are AMA members were sent a postcard containing their pass code and voting instructions. Please note that you must be an AMA member to vote.
Visit the Web site to help shape the future of medicine for IMGs by voting today.
2) AMA-IMG Section resolutions due today, May 8
Make your voice heard on important IMG issues by sending in your AMA-IMG Section resolutions for the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates by the end of today.
Visit the Web site for guidelines on writing resolutions.
3) Stay informed: Register for AMA-IMG Section Annual Meeting activities today
The AMA-IMG Section invites you to participate in its events during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, including the following:
- Attend the inaugural Busharat Ahmad, MD, Leadership Development program from 9 to 11 a.m. on June 16. This program will feature lessons learned from physicians whose steadfastness and ability to stay focused have helped pave their pathways to success.
- Make sure your voice is heard by attending the AMA-IMG Section congress from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on June 13, featuring keynote speaker James Thompson, MD, president and chief executive officer of the Federation of State Medical Boards, and the delegates’ caucus from 7:30 to 9 a.m. June 16. These events also include a business meeting, featuring topics such as IMG licensure issues and a review of reference committee reports and IMG resolutions.
- Join your AMA-IMG Section colleagues at the candidates’ forum and caucus from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. on June 14 to hear what candidates for the board of trustees and the governing council have to say about IMG issues.
- Mark your calendar for the “Desserts from around the world” reception from 9:30 to 11 p.m. on June 14 to network with colleagues while feasting on desserts with an international flair.
All AMA-IMG Section meetings will take place at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Send an e-mail with questions.
Register and download a registration form for the meeting.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Medical school news
(Brought to you by the AMA Section on Medical Schools)
1) Last chance to register for AMA-SMS Annual Meeting
The AMA-SMS Annual Meeting will be held June 13–15 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. This meeting will provide medical education colleagues an opportunity to network, help develop AMA policy, discuss issues affecting medical education and elect the next AMA-SMS Governing Council.
On June 13, the AMA-SMS will hold a joint educational session with the AMA Medical Student Section on recommendations from the comprehensive review of the United States Medical Licensing Examination and implications for licensure. The section will also hold a joint educational program with the AMA Councils on Medical Education and Science and Public Health on the challenges facing faculty, featuring speaker Darrell Kirch, MD, president of the Association of American Medical Colleges. On June 14 the AMA-SMS will present a panel on teaching teamwork and its impact on patient care. An open forum session will include discussions on competencies in geriatric medicine for medical students, advancing the use of performance measures in medical education and mini-presentations on innovations in faculty development.
Meeting registration forms are due to the section office no later than May 12. The hotel reservation deadline also is May 12.
Call the section office at (312) 464-4655 with questions.
Visit the Web site for meeting details.
2) AMA Foundation scholarships support students
As the cost of medical education continues to increase, financial assistance for medical students is more important than ever. The AMA Foundation has a long history of supporting young men and women who aspire to become physicians. Medical schools can nominate and encourage students to apply for the following 2008 scholarship opportunities:
- The Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarships—13 $10,000 scholarships are awarded to third-year students who are entering their fourth year of study. Some of the scholarships have additional eligibility criteria, including an interest in medical journalism, psychiatry or the communication of science. Medical schools must nominate students for this award. Nominations are due May 30.
- The Arthur N. Wilson, MD, Scholarship—One $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a medical student who grew up in southeast Alaska. Students can apply directly to the AMA Foundation for this scholarship. Submissions are due June 16.
- The Scholars Fund—Supported by the AMA Alliance’s fund-raising efforts, the Scholars Fund grants money to medical schools to distribute to deserving students of their choice. Scholarships of $1,000 or more are available. The medical school chooses the recipient(s) of this award. Submissions are due July 1.
Visit the Web site for details and nomination forms.
Visit the Web site for your school’s available Scholars Fund account balance to grant as scholarships.
Send an e-mail or call (312) 464-4200 with questions.
3) Update: Recent USMLE announcements
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 assessment will change from 350 to 336 items starting on or around May 15. The target date for reporting Step 1 scores for most examinees testing from May 15 through late June will be July 16.
The three-digit score recommended to pass the Step 3 examination will be raised from 184 to 187. The new minimum passing score will be applied on or after May 1.
View USMLE announcements.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Medical student issues
1) Mark your calendar: 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting deadlines
The 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting, June 12–14, is quickly approaching, and so are a number of deadlines.
- Meeting registration is due today, May 8. Register today to ensure that you receive an AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting handbook. Register.
- Governing council position applications are due May 18. Elections for the 2008–2009 AMA-MSS Governing Council will be held at the 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting in Chicago. Access the AMA-MSS governing council position guide (PDF, 79KB) and an application (Word, 67kB).
2) Reserve your hotel room now for the 2008 AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting
The AMA has reserved a block of rooms for AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting attendees at the Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Downtown at a discounted rate of $189 per night. Rooms are sure to go fast, so make your hotel reservation by May 16. In addition, the AMA has teamed up with United Airlines to offer AMA-MSS Annual Assembly Meeting attendees a special 5 percent discount on airfare.
Are you looking for someone to share the cost of a room during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates? If so, access the meeting housing exchange forum, which will allow you to communicate with other attendees about sharing hotel rooms.
Register for the meeting and learn more about hotel and airfare discounts. We hope to see you in Chicago.
3) Check out the latest “Medical student insider”
“Medical student insider” is a monthly column written by the AMA Government Relations Advocacy Fellow (GRAF), a fellow selected each spring to work in Washington, D.C., as a full-time paid member of the AMA’s federal advocacy team for one year. The GRAF is responsible for working with the AMA’s federal advocacy team to advance the AMA’s legislative agenda and policies on behalf of physicians, patients and medical students.
Visit the Web site for the latest news on issues that affect physicians, medical students and patients.
4) Chapter of the Week: University of South Carolina School of Medicine
Last month medical students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine educated more than 140 children at a nearby elementary school about the adverse aspects of obesity. Children learned about proper nutrition and the importance of physical activity. Activities included a demonstration on the amount of sugar in drinks, promoting five-a-day fruits and vegetables with an exotic fruit snack, demonstrations of serving sizes using household items and information regarding unorthodox ways to increase activity. Medical students also plan to present on this topic at the next PTA meeting.
This project was made possible by an AMA chapter involvement grant (CIG). CIGs are available to AMA-MSS chapters to help put student projects and recruitment events into action. Chapters are eligible for $1,000 per academic year with a maximum of $500 per event. If your chapter has a project that it would like to get started, apply for a CIG.
5) Nominate your mentor for the AMA-WPC Physician Mentor Recognition Program
The nomination period for the second annual AMA Women Physicians Congress (WPC) Physician Mentor Recognition Program is underway. This program provides a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge physicians who contribute in small, often unsung ways to other physicians’ individual successes. Nominate an individual who may have steered you into the specialty you love, helped you find a work/life balance, guided you through your professional society or unknowingly served as a role model for you or others.
Visit the Web site for more information and to nominate those who have made a difference in your professional life.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Minority health issues and professional concerns of minority physicians
(brought to you by the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium)
1) Minority Scholars Award recipient honors others
In April, Charles Branch, one of the recipients of the 2007 AMA Foundation Minority Scholars Awards, honored others at a special event originally planned to honor him.
Read more about the traditional Native American feast and “giveaway” to recognize those who helped him during his first two years of school.
2) There’s still time to choose: AMA-MAC election ends May 14
Cast your vote today and help choose the newest members of the AMA-MAC Governing Council. Online election polls are open now through May 14. All AMA-MAC members were mailed a postcard with voting instructions and pass code information to take part in the election. Please note that AMA membership is required to vote in this election.
Access the election ballot link and view the candidate profiles.
Send an e-mail to Wilda Knox with questions.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Organized medical staff issues
1) Book hotel and flight reservations for annual meeting by May 12
Hotel and flight information for the 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting, June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, is available online.
Book your reservation by May 12 to ensure that your requirements are met. Room availability cannot be guaranteed after this date.
2) Register online today for 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting
The 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting will be held June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Register online today.
3) Applications for 2008–2010 AMA-OMSS Governing Council due May 14
Interested in holding a leadership position within the AMA-OMSS? The AMA-OMSS Governing Council election for the 2008–2010 term will be held at the 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting in June.
Download an election application. Applications are due May 14 to the attention of Kathleen Cole. Send an e-mail to Kathleen Cole or a fax to (312) 464-5845 with your application in order to be included in the online version of the 2008 AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting handbook. The online handbook will be available May 22; hard copies will be passed out at the meeting.
Visit the Web site for more information on AMA-OMSS Governing Council leadership opportunities and responsibilities.
4) AMA guide assists physicians in drafting, amending bylaws
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 the revised Joint Commission Standard MS.1.20.
AMA members can view (PDF, 996KB) the guide at no charge. Nonmembers will be able to purchase the guide in the coming weeks.
5) Resource helps strengthen physician-hospital relationship; print your copy today
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 now available online.
View (PDF, 90KB) and download this resource. These principles are designed to improve the working relationship between physicians and hospitals, and ultimately foster better patient care and increase patient safety.
Send an e-mail to order a poster of the principles to post in your medical staff lounge.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Resident and fellow issues
1) Apply for AMA-RFS Governing Council
The AMA-RFS will be electing the following governing council positions at its annual assembly meeting June 12–14 in Chicago:
- Vice chair
- Speaker
- Vice speaker
- Delegate
- Alternate delegate
- Membership and outreach officer
The AMA-RFS Governing Council directs and implements the section’s programs and activities and holds meetings four times a year—in March, June, August and November. Conference calls are also held throughout the year as needed. Applications must be received by the deadline to be included in the annual assembly meeting handbook.
Learn more about the AMA-RFS Governing Council’s duties.
Apply (Word,64KB). Applications are due May 15.
2) Be a leader on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredits more than 6,000 residency programs throughout the United States. The council meets three times per year and establishes general performance parameters for programs, as well as approving specific accreditation recommendations of the residency review committees. This is a two-year position and is appointed by the governing council.
Apply (Word, 85KB). Applications are due June 2.
3) Reserve your hotel room now for the AMA-RFS Annual Assembly Meeting
The AMA has reserved a block of rooms for the 2008 AMA-RFS Annual Assembly Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Chicago at a discounted rate. Reserve your room by May 12 to receive this special rate. The AMA also has a special 5 percent discount agreement on airfare with United Airlines.
Reserve your hotel room today.
Register and learn more about the AMA-RFS Annual Assembly Meeting.
4) AMA practice tip: Improving practice efficiencies with electronic claims submissions
The AMA, in collaboration with the Connecticut State Medical Society, developed the educational resource “The benefits of electronic claims submission—improve practice efficiencies” to help physicians and their practice staff understand the electronic claim submission process and the many benefits that may be realized by submitting claims electronically to health insurers. The resource discusses the reduction of claim submission costs and errors, and offers tips on getting started with electronic submission.
Visit the Web site and click on “Claims processing” at the bottom of the page to access “The benefits of electronic claims submission—improve practice efficiencies.” AMA members can download this informative practice management resource as a member benefit.
5) Deadline extended for surgical caucus position
The AMA-RFS is accepting applications for the AMA Surgical Caucus Executive Committee until May 12. This committee discusses issues and AMA House of Delegates resolutions relevant to the surgical field. The AMA-RFS committee member will participate in surgical caucuses at the AMA Annual and Interim Meetings of the AMA House of Delegates and serve as a member of the Surgical Caucus Executive Committee. This is a one-year position appointed by the AMA-RFS Governing Council.
Apply (Word, 84KB).
>>Return to your news interest contents
Senior Physicians issues
1) AMA board appoints two physicians to AMA-SPG Governing Council
Joseph L. Murphy, MD, of Chicago and Claire V. Wolfe, MD, of Dublin, Ohio were recently appointed to the AMA-SPG Governing Council. The governing council consists of seven senior physicians who advise the AMA Board of Trustees on issues relating to senior physicians. The AMA-SPG consists of 90,000 AMA members who are age 65 and older.
View a complete list of AMA-SPG Governing Council members.
2) Report: Seniors and baby boomers at risk for HIV and STDs
Medical experts agree that older Americans often are among the most overlooked and, therefore, more vulnerable populations to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), particularly the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. Most older patients feel uneasy discussing sexual behavior with their physicians, according to AARP research. There is also a growing concern that older adults, including baby boomers, do not consider themselves susceptible to STDs. That concern is fueling a national push among public health officials and educators for more prevention efforts aimed at these vulnerable populations.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Women physician and women's health issues
(brought to you by the AMA Women Physicians Congress)
1) In AMNews Quick View: Part-time physicians
View information on part-time physicians in the May 5 issue of American Medical News (AMNews). Among the findings, the proportion of doctors engaged in part-time work increased to 19 percent in 2007 from 13 percent in 2005.
Visit the Web site for more information on part-time work and issues related to this topic.
2) Don’t wait; vote in AMA-WPC Governing Council election today
The AMA-WPC would like to hear from you during the 2008 AMA-WPC Governing Council election. The online election polls are open for voting through May 14, so cast your vote today. All AMA-WPC members were mailed a postcard with voting instructions and pass code information. Please note that AMA membership is required to vote in this election.
View a list of candidates and their profiles and to access the link to the online ballot. Send an e-mail to Wilda Knox with questions.
3) Mark your calendar: Success for Women in Medicine conference set for June 7
Success for Women in Medicine, scheduled for June 7 in Columbus, Ohio, is a one-day personal and professional development conference for women physicians in medicine. Sponsored by the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and designed by Christine Lawless, MD, president of Sports Cardiology Consultants, LLC, in Columbus, the conference will highlight relevant issues to women physicians, including time management, dual-career and dual-physician marriages, and finance basics.
Register (PDF, 145KB) and view the full program.
Contact Dr. Lawless by e-mail for more information. Please note that this is not an AMA conference.
>>Return to your news interest contents
Young physician issues
1) In the Wall Street Journal: Young physicians want to balance work and family
According to an April 29 article in the Wall Street Journal, “U.S. medicine is in the middle of a cultural revolution, as young physicians intent on balancing work and family challenge the assumption that a doctor should be available to treat patients around the clock.” The article describes the shift toward practice options that offer more free time, including an increase in the number of hospitalists.
In the article, AMA President Ronald M. Davis, MD, says, “There has been a sea change in how young physicians today balance professional responsibilities and personal needs, compared to their colleagues from a few decades ago. Physicians who manage their own stress and feel happy with their own daily circumstances are probably better physicians.”
View the full article.
2) Join the AMA-YPS in Chicago
Make plans now to attend the 2008 AMA-YPS Annual Assembly Meeting June 12–14 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. This meeting is the ideal venue for young physicians to make themselves heard and become more active in shaping medicine’s future.
Register for the meeting online.
Read more about the meeting schedule, hotel and travel discounts and meeting service opportunities for AMA-YPS delegates.
Keep the following meeting deadlines in mind:
- “Late” resolutions to AMA-YPS are due May 9.
- Pre-registration to be included on the meeting roster is due May 12.
- The last day to volunteer for a convention committee is May 12.
3) Young physicians: RSVP now for AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee Caucus
Graham McMahan, MD, who currently serves as the AMA-YPS representative to the AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Issues, invites all AMA-YPS assembly members to attend the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee’s annual caucus, 5:30 to 7 p.m. on June 13 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Each year at its caucus, the AMA-GLBT Advisory Committee recruits a physician speaker to address attendees on an issue in which all doctors should be aware when treating their GLBT patients. Past caucuses have focused on such topics as the psychology and biology of sexual orientation, overall GLBT health disparities and particular issues affecting GLBT youth. This year’s caucus will feature Kathy Oriel, MD, a family medicine physician from Madison, Wis., who will be presenting “Lesbian health care: What you don’t know is harming them.”
RSVP for the caucus by sending an e-mail.
4) AMA-YPS gears up for its 2008 governing council elections
View candidates who have submitted applications for the 2008 AMA-YPS Governing Council elections on June 13.
View (Word, 56kB) profiles of candidates for chair-elect, speaker and delegate as nomination forms are received.
Nominations will be accepted by fax at (312) 464-5845 or e-mail to the AMA-YPS until June 2. After this date, nominations will only be accepted from the floor at the AMA-YPS Annual Assembly Meeting on June 13.
5) Should I accept a technology donation?
With the growing trend of hospitals, health systems and health plans donating health information technology (HIT) to physician practices, it’s important for physicians and practice managers to understand the complexities of HIT donation agreements and Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute requirements.
To help, the AMA will host a live, hour-long Web conference from 1 to 2 p.m. CST on May 14 titled “Financing electronic health record (EHR/EMR) systems: Should your practice accept a donation?” Learn if acceptance of these donations is the right move for your practice, and how to comply with subsidized EHR regulations, recognize regular components of donation agreements and prepare more effectively for any HIT selection. Featuring presenters Heidi Echols from McDermott Will & Emery and Jay Want, MD, and Jeff Archambeau from Physician Health Partners, the program is open to all physicians and their staff and offers continuing medical education credit. Registration is $95 for AMA members and $150 for nonmembers.
Learn more and register.
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 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
6) On Sermo: Newly launched jobs board enables physician-to-physician networking
Sermo, the largest online community for physicians, recently launched its very own jobs board. Designed to encourage open discussions around job opportunities, Sermo Jobs™ allows physicians to post comments about current job openings and contact hiring physicians directly.
Sermo Jobs has no recruiters, no headhunters and no other third-party entities brokering the employment of physicians.
And like everything else on Sermo, it’s free.
Join Sermo, post a job and search hundreds of current openings.
7) Call for papers for JAMA theme issue on health of the nation
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) invites authors to submit manuscripts on any topic relevant to the issue of the nation’s health for its theme issue publication in October. To receive highest priority, submissions should be original research papers and present new scientific information and solid data. Topics of interest could include finding solutions to improving the nation’s health care or studies improving national health based on health systems in other countries. Manuscripts received by June 1 will have the best chance of consideration.
Visit the Web site for more information and guidelines on submission.
>>Return to your news interest contents
General AMA news
1) Clock ticking on Medicare payment
Time is running out to stop a steep 10.6 percent cut in Medicare physician payments scheduled for July 1.
The AMA, in testimony this week to the House Small Business Committee, urged Congress to take immediate action to avert looming cuts that will harm seniors’ access to care.
Now Congress needs to hear from you. Call and let your senators and representatives know how critical the Save Medicare Act of 2008 (S. 2785) is for physicians and seniors.
S. 2785 would prevent the 10.6 percent cut in Medicare physician payments planned for July 1, retain current payment levels for the remainder of 2008 and enact a 1.8 percent increase for 2009. The bill would also continue “rural extender” provisions that are set to expire, and would give Congress time to work on a long-term solution to the broken Medicare payment system.
“There are only 53 calendar days, and substantially fewer legislative days remaining for Congress to fix this problem,” said AMA Trustee Cecil B. Wilson, MD. “Time is short, and we urge Congress to act before it is too late.”
Call the AMA Grassroots Hotline at (800) 833-6354 to be connected to your members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor and pass S. 2785.
Download the AMA’s Medicare Physician Payment Action Kit, which includes details about the bill and how you can voice your support for it.
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2) Pathologists’ victory in fair compensation lawsuit to stand
The latest development in a lengthy legal battle concerning fair compensation for physicians is good news for pathologists—and marks another victory for the Litigation Center of the AMA and state medical societies.
A Florida court of appeals ruled last month that Health Options Inc. (HOI), a health maintenance organization (HMO) subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, must pay pathologists with Palmetto Pathology Services in a case centered on the reasonable value of their services. The ruling upholds a jury decision to award more than $1.5 million to the pathologists after HOI refused to pay them for professional clinical pathology laboratory services they performed at two hospitals within HOI’s network.
The Litigation Center assisted with the interpretation of various Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes at issue in the trial and joined the College of American Pathologists in filing an amicus curiae, or “friend-of-the-court,” brief in support of the pathologists during the appeal process.
The case is one of 14 different lawsuits, some of which were consolidated, in which 11 separate pathology groups sued three HMOs in Florida courts. At issue in the suits is whether Florida law requires HMOs to pay out-of-network pathologists based at in-network hospitals for hospital-based services. The Litigation Center is supporting the lawsuits because the AMA believes that physicians should be fairly compensated for their professional services.
Download (PDF, 66KB) a copy of the opinion.
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3) AMA urges Congress to save specialty hospitals for patients
With the hospital industry in Washington, D.C., this week lobbying Congress to eliminate physician-owned hospitals, the AMA called on lawmakers to stand with America’s patients and continue to oppose such efforts to eliminate competition.
“If the hospital industry succeeds in getting Congress to effectively ban physician-owned hospitals, they’ll be reducing access to care for the patients who rely on them,” said AMA Immediate Past President William G. Plested III, MD.
The AMA has strong policy opposing limits on specialty hospitals, because they offer an innovative way to provide patients with high-quality care, and because patients consistently report high satisfaction with the care provided at these hospitals. After vocal objection from the AMA, federal lawmakers abandoned a proposal last month to insert a provision into already-passed agriculture legislation that would ban physicians’ referrals to specialty hospitals in which they have invested.
“Studies show that the quality of care patients receive at specialty hospitals is high, and the patients like the choice in care, so there’s simply no good reason to try and get rid of them,” Dr. Plested said.
Learn more about this issue.
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4) Save the date: AMA sections and special groups to meet in June
In conjunction with the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, June 14–18, AMA sections and special groups will gather at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. With a full lineup of activities, the meetings will allow attendees an opportunity to network with colleagues, discuss business and take part in educational programming.
Mark your calendar to attend the following meetings:
- June 12–14: The AMA Medical Student, Organized Medical Staff, Resident and Fellow and Young Physicians Sections will host their annual assembly meetings.
- June 13: The AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues and Minority Affairs Consortium will hold their caucuses.
- June 13–15: The AMA Section on Medical Schools will host its annual meeting.
- June 13–16: The AMA International Medical Graduates Section will gather for its annual congress and caucus/candidate’s forum.
- June 14: The AMA Senior Physicians Group and Women Physicians Congress will hold their caucuses, and the AMA Group and Faculty Practice will host its educational session.
Learn more about each section’s and special groups’ meetings.
Learn more about the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, including important deadlines, a tentative schedule and important hotel and airline information.
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5) Virtual Mentor looks at system constraints on optimal care
Health care systems operate at many levels and take many forms, according to the May issue of the AMA’s online ethics journal Virtual Mentor. These systems—including ancillary medical services, institutional policies, private and governmental insurance regulations, the medical liability system and national and international bodies that govern health policy—affect patient care because doctors must balance what they think is medically optimal with the limits of the relevant systems in which they function.
This month Virtual Mentor examines ethical controversies that arise when systems influence medical practice and explores a variety of clinical cases, including topics such as transplant tourism, “secret shoppers” in medicine and medical culture and error disclosure.
Learn more and view this month’s issue. Stay tuned for future issues of Virtual Mentor to learn more about quality of life and geriatric patients, gender-based medicine, establishing the boundaries of informed consent and ethical issues in sleep medicine.
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6) On Sermo: A way to make some extra cash?
“A good source of supplemental income,” “pretty seamless” and a “low risk financially” are all ways one physician on Sermo described the process of in-office medication dispensing after talking to an outside company. But is this truly the case?
Visit Sermo to add your thoughts and recommendations on dispensing medications from your office, and take a poll on this topic.
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7) In JAMA: Much of the increased risk of death from smoking reduced within several years after quitting
Women who quit smoking significantly reduce their risk of death within five years from coronary heart disease and have about a 20 percent lower risk of death within that time period from smoking-related cancers, according to a study in the May 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Preview the study.
View this week’s JAMA patient page, a free weekly resource physicians can give to their patients, on smoking and the heart.
View the JAMA Report video about this study.
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