AMA eVoice Weekly Newsletter

Treat the troops—mental health matters

As I noted in my blog Sept. 28, I had the honor to represent the AMA and speak at the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Walk for Awareness, which was held Sept. 27 at the American Legion Mall in Indianapolis. The site was impressive.

The 27 acres were donated after World War I to honor America's sons and daughters who have fought in wars to preserve America's freedom. The monuments were second only to Washington, D.C., in honoring those who have served in wars since the American Revolution. The layout mimics The National Mall, including a gold-caped obelisk in the form of a long rectangular depression that was designed as a reflecting pool but never filled in.

The AMA Foundation's Fund for Better Health provided a grant to help make the walk happen, and the event was spearheaded by the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) Alliance, with the catalyst being incoming President Cami Pond. Her husband, Col. William Pond, MD, past president of the Fort Wayne Medical Society and state air surgeon with the Indiana National Guard, has been deployed numerous times and seen the problems that PTSD can create for returning troops and their families. The lack of awareness in the private sector for PTSD and for treatment options was a clear rallying cry for the ISMA Alliance to do something.

Working with Sen. Tom Wyss, R-Ind., and Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-Ind., of the Indiana General Assembly, proclamations of the PTSD Walk for Awareness were passed and announced by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. She noted in her remarks that the number of Indiana Hoosiers deployed is disproportionate compared to other states.

The Adjutant General of Indiana, Maj. Gen. Martin Umbarger, remarked on how appreciative all the branches of the military were of the recognition of the private sector of the hidden trauma PTSD brought on individuals and families when soldiers return. He recognized those in the audience who served our nation in Vietnam and commented on how their return was so different from what's occurring now. They are an important part of our American fabric who have not had the appreciation as other sons and daughters who left America to serve our nation to fight on foreign soils. Their sacrifice and the PTSD they suffered was stigmatized.

The shuttle bus driver who drove me to the event and then to the airport was a Vietnam veteran. We discussed how America has changed and those who served in World War II are called "The Greatest Generation." But those who served in Vietnam, while part of the Baby Boomers, have not had the same recognition of service to our nation. Recognizing the possible effects PTSD can have on soldiers is the first step in the right direction.

During my remarks at the walk, I noted that PTSD is not just a military issue. Family members and veterans who receive care in the private sector need to have private physicians who know about the problem and are able to refer to appropriate specialists for care. Nightmares, depression, debilitating headaches, heart disease and suicide are just some of the manifestations of PTSD. Treatment can be of help if the diagnosis is made.

I also noted that besides the military, others who face traumatic events may also develop PTSD. Firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, and even nurses and physicians can suffer from PTSD. The condition is real, affects many and can be treated.

What happened in Indiana on Sept. 27 shows the power of one person working with an alliance, a state medical association and the AMA to make a positive difference. Though the walk was only a mile, a journey of 1,000 miles must begin with those first steps. I hope you will look at your own community and see where you can help raise awareness and provide support for those returning from serving our nation to make sure they have what they need to be productive in an American society where they put their life on the line to serve.

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

1) AMA video answers physicians’ health system reform questions
AMA Board of Trustees members answer common questions from physicians about health system reform in a new video posted on the AMA’s health system reform Web site. The video can be viewed in its entirety or in brief clips.

Learn more about the videos.

2) Annual Meeting to include bipartisan discussion about health reform
Join the AMA’s sections and special groups for a candid discussion about the status of health system reform, where it is heading and what it means 6for physicians and patients. This program, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 7 as part of the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, will consist of AMA President J. James Rohack, MD; Richard Deem, the AMA’s senior vice president for advocacy; and congressional representatives, including U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, MD, R-Texas, discussing the AMA’s involvement in the reform debate. Participants can earn 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

The Interim Meeting will take place Nov. 7–10 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Online registration will close Oct. 30 and space is limited, so register early.

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

The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

3) Show your patients the facts about health reform
A new series of AMA resources can help you educate your patients about what health system reform would mean for them. Posted on the AMA’s health system reform Web site, the series explains how comparative effectiveness research, a public plan option, market reforms and financial assistance fit into the reform debate and spells out how each could and should affect patients.

4) AMA creates new CPT^® codes for H1N1 immunizations
With both seasonal influenza and H1N1 influenza circulating this flu season, the AMA has expedited the publication of a new code specific to vaccine administration and revised existing code 90663 to include the H1N1 vaccine.

The new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT^®) code issued by the AMA will streamline the reporting and reimbursement procedure for physicians and health care providers who are expected to administer nearly 200 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine in the United States. The codes also will help efficiently report and track immunization and counseling services related to the H1N1 vaccine throughout the health care system.

Visit the AMA's H1N1 influenza Web site to learn more.

5) Video explains difference between H1N1 influenza, seasonal flu
Learn what makes this influenza season different than others and who should receive the vaccine by viewing a new video on the AMA’s H1N1 influenza Web site featuring L.J. Tan, the AMA’s director of infectious diseases.

6) Protect your practice with the Humana settlement agreement provisions
The Humana settlement agreement grants physicians a number of important protections against unfair business practices from this large health insurer. For instance, the settlement agreement requires Humana to recognize and pay services reported as Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT^®, add-on codes and shall not be subject to the multiple procedure logic. Your practice shouldn’t go without these protections.

Learn more about the protections the Humana settlement offers your practice and how you can ensure that Humana abides by them.

7) Learning the advantages of electronic claims submission: just one benefit of AMA membership
Do you wish you could reduce the time and resources your practice devotes to manual administrative functions? Would you like to expedite a health plan payer’s claims processing turnaround? Then it’s time to get an introduction to electronic claim systems.

Dive into the AMA members-only article “The benefits of electronic claims submission—improve practice efficiencies,” one of the many resources offered by AMA’s Practice Management Center. The AMA, in collaboration with the Connecticut State Medical Society, developed this educational resource to help physicians and their practice staff understand the electronic claim submission process. It features the benefits of submitting claims electronically to health plan payers, discusses the reduction of claim submission costs and errors, and offers tips on getting started.

Access other practice management resources from the AMA.

Don’t lose valuable benefits such as this. Renew your AMA membership or join the AMA and have access to them.

8) In Archives of Internal Medicine: Electronic alerts about abnormal imaging test results don’t always result in timely follow-up
Abnormal results on outpatient imaging tests sometimes may not receive timely follow-up even when clinicians receive and read results in an advanced, integrated electronic medical record system, according to a report in the Sept. 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the Journal of the American Medical Association/Archives journals.

1) In the New York Times: AIDS vaccine provides promising results
Infection rates fell by 31 percent among study participants given a double dose of vaccines in a six-year AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand, the New York Times reports. The vaccine, known as RV 144, is a combination of two genetically engineered vaccines, neither of which had worked before in humans, and was declared a qualified success on more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand. According to the Times, the vaccine was tested among a general population, not high-risk groups such as prostitutes, gays or needle users.

2) Human Rights Campaign issues report on workplace climate for LGBT employees
Fifty-one percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers hide their sexual orientation and gender identity from co-workers, according to a report from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation released this week.

The report, titled "Degrees of Equality: A National Study Examining Workplace Climate for LGBT Employees," examined the work experiences of LGBT individuals and found that despite an improvement in attitudes toward LGBT people in the workplace, a significant number reported working in a negative environment.

1) American Association of Physicians of Indian origin fall governing body meeting set
The American Association of Physicians of Indian origin will hold its fall governing body meeting Oct. 9–10 in San Antonio. The meeting will include a symposium covering business in medicine and acculturation Oct. 10 and conclude with a "Dance for the Millions" charitable fundraising gala, which will benefit free clinics in the United States and India.

Visit the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin Web site to learn more about the meeting and to register for it.

2) Register for the AMA-IMG Section meeting
The AMA-IMG Section has an exciting meeting on tap from Nov. 6–9 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Highlights will include Gerry Dillon, vice president of the United States Medical Licensing Examination, speaking at the AMA-IMG Section Congress, and a lively caucus featuring a town-hall format co-sponsored by the Texas Medical Association IMG Section and the AMA-IMG Section. In addition, AMA President J. James Rohack, MD, will deliver the keynote address at the Busharat Ahmad, MD, Leadership Program. Guests are welcome to attend.

Register for the meeting.

All physicians and their guests are encouraged to attend and participate. Oral or written organizational reports are encouraged. Contact J. Mori Johnson, director of the AMA-IMG Section, at (312) 464-5678 or e-mail her at img@ama-assn.org if you have a report or any questions.

3) AMA Foundation seeks everyday heroes in medicine
Recognizing the extraordinary efforts of leaders in the medical community, the AMA Foundation honors those who go beyond the call of duty to improve the health of our nation with the Excellence in Medicine Awards. Presented in association with Pfizer Inc., the awards recognize a select group of physicians and medical students who represent the highest standards of volunteerism, public service and leadership.

Nominations are due Nov. 16. Learn more about how you can nominate a colleague. Send an e-mail to img@ama-assn.org or call (312) 464-5678 if you have questions.

Brought to you by the AMA Section on Medical Schools

1) AMA-SMS meeting registration deadline approaching
The next AMA-SMS meeting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston. The deadline to register is Oct. 12.

The meeting is being held in conjunction with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Meeting, which is taking place at the same time as the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in Houston. Discounted rates for hotel reservations are available only when registering for the AAMC meeting.

Register for the meeting. Meeting registration is free.

Register for the AAMC meeting.

If you will not be registering through the AAMC, those attending only the section meeting may visit the Mariott Web site to secure hotel accommodations.

Send an e-mail to jackie.drake@ama-assn.org or call the section's office at (312) 464-4655 if you have questions or did not receive the meeting information e-mail.

2) Medical Education Bulletin now available online
The AMA Medical Education Bulletin is published twice a year and serves as an important source of information on medical education and the AMA. Each issue includes actions of the AMA House of Delegates related to medical education.

Register to receive the Medical Education Bulletin.

3) JAMA highlights medical education
The Sept. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is a themed issue on medical education. Topics discussed include resident fatigue and distress, evaluating obstetrical residency programs using patient outcomes, enhancing meaning in work to prevent physician burnout and promoting patient-centered care, and why medical educators may be failing at feedback. This issue also contains the latest data on U.S. medical schools and residency training programs.

4) AMA Foundation spotlights senior physician volunteers improving access to care
The AMA Foundation is accepting nominations for the Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award for Excellence in Volunteerism, which recognizes a senior physician who provides treatment to U.S. patients who lack access to health care. The award is part of the AMA Foundation's Excellence in Medicine Awards, which are presented in association with Pfizer, Inc.

The award will be presented at the Excellence in Medicine Awards banquet and special leadership program March 1, 2010, in Washington, D.C., during the AMA's National Advocacy Conference. Nominations are due by Nov. 16.

View nomination materials.

1) Reserve your hotel room for the AMA-MSS meeting
The 2009 AMA-MSS Interim Meeting will be held Nov. 5–7 in Houston, and the AMA has booked a block of rooms at the Hyatt Regency Houston for meeting attendees at a special rate of $190 per night. This discounted rate will be available until Oct. 9 or until the block of rooms is sold out.

Visit the AMA-MSS Web site to make a reservation.

If you're looking for a roommate to share the cost of a hotel room at the meeting or have extra space in your hotel room, use the AMA-MSS Housing Exchange Forum to communicate with other meeting attendees.

Although online registration is closed for the meeting, you still can register on site for free.

2) AMA-MSS Unity Week set for next week
AMA-MSS Unity Week—an opportunity for medical students from across the nation to celebrate the diversity in our student populations, communities and the nation—will be celebrated Oct. 4–10. Organized by the AMA-MSS Minority Issues Committee (MIC), this initiative can include any activity that celebrates diversity. All AMA-MSS chapters are encouraged to participate by organizing an event during the week.

Unity Week events might include community health fairs, brown bag lunch presentations, ethnic lunches, food festivals and events coordinated with other school diversity organizations. Visit the AMA-MSS Web site for more event ideas and to learn how to plan a successful event in your community.

3) AMA-MSS national service project focusing on AMA Healthier Life Steps program
Every two years, the AMA-MSS selects a new national service project on which to focus its community service activities, and the section chose the AMA Healthier Life Steps™ Program as its project for 2009–2011.

The AMA is dedicated to helping physicians assist their patients in leading healthier lives. Accordingly, the AMA Healthier Life Steps™ Program provides physicians with the tools they need to support their patients' efforts to change four key health behaviors: diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption and tobacco use.

During the next two years, medical students from AMA-MSS chapters across the country will use these tools to improve the health of their communities through integration or linking of existing public health, medicine and community health promotion activities in these four health behavior areas.

Learn more about the national service project and access resources, including project ideas, to help you and your chapter get involved.

4) Want to be a theme issue editor for Virtual Mentor?
Virtual Mentor, the AMA's online ethics journal, is looking for students and residents to serve as theme issue editors in conjunction with the journal's staff editors. Theme issue editors are responsible for choosing themes, generating case narratives, working with other contributors and editing.

Each theme issue editor will receive a $1,000 stipend. Virtual Mentor aims to promote the ethical and professional development of tomorrow's physicians; its primary audience is medical students, residents, physicians and medical educators.

Visit the Virtual Mentor Web site to learn more and apply. Applications are due by midnight CST Nov. 13.

5) Discounts on USMLE, COMLEX preparation guides: just one benefit of AMA membership
Are you preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX)? As an AMA member, you have an opportunity to fulfill all of your test preparation needs without draining your wallet. Enjoy discounts of up to 25 percent off the list price on medical student-specific resources such as "First Aid for the USMLE" and "First Aid for the COMLEX."

Visit the AMA Bookstore to take advantage of these discounts.

Don't lose valuable AMA resources such as this. Renew your AMA membership. If you're not a member, join the AMA and begin receiving them.

Brought to you by the AMA Minority Affairs Consortium

1) Organize a Doctors Back to School visit in your community
As a physician, you can have a profound influence on a young person's aspirations and future. One way to get involved is through the AMA Doctors Back to School program. This successful program has involved hundreds of physicians around the county who have spent time in their community schools or youth centers donned in scrubs with stethoscopes, reflex hammers, skeletons and rubber hearts. These doctors have shared their passion for the profession and inspired others to blaze the same path.

October is observed as Doctors Back to School Month, and the AMA can make it easy for you to organize an event at a school in your community.

2) Video looks at addressing disparities to improve quality
As the country's minority population continues to increase, hospitals will need to ensure that they are providing high-quality, equitable care to all patients in order to succeed and thrive.

With that, the Center for Health Care Quality at the George Washington University Medical Center and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have developed an educational video that assesses the important problem of disparities in health care and explores ways providers can identify and work to reduce them. The video also examines the definition of health care disparities and academic evidence of its existence as well as the lessons that experience in the fields of quality improvement and cardiovascular care can provide in reducing it.

3) AMA's Ending Disparities e-Letter makes debut
The AMA recently launched the Ending Disparities e-Letter, a newsletter that contains periodic news, information and updates related to eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care, as well as details of the AMA's activities related to ending health disparities.

Send an e-mail to commission.on.disparities@enews.ama-assn.org to sign up to receive this newsletter.

Learn more about the AMA's effort to eliminate health disparities.

1) AMA-OMSS meeting set for this fall
The next AMA-OMSS Assembly meeting will take place Nov. 5–7 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, preceding the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. The AMA-OMSS handbook will be posted on the section's Web site Oct. 9.

The meeting will include unique education programs that provide insight and perspective on topics such as employment contracting, accountable care organizations, medical staff organization and leadership.

Register for the meeting.

If you are not an AMA-OMSS representative and would like to become one, download a certification form and fax it to (312) 464-5845, e-mail it to omss@ama-assn.org or mail it to 515 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60654.

2) Feedback requested on working draft of Joint Commission medical staff standard
The AMA is soliciting feedback from its members concerning their level of support for proposed language of Joint Commission hospital accreditation standard MS.01.01.01. Feedback is due by Oct. 15.

A Joint Commission task force convened to implement medical staff standard MS.01.01.01, previously known as MS.1.20, reached consensus and unanimous agreement in March on a completely new "draft" standard that would replace the current standard. Consensus means that each member of the task force agreed to actively support adoption of the recommended new standard. The AMA supports the proposed language for standard MS.01.01.01.

AMA-OMSS representatives can review and provide comment on the working draft standard MS.01.01.01.

If you are not an AMA-OMSS representative and would like to become one, download a certification form and fax it to (312) 464-5845, e-mail it to omss@ama-assn.org or mail it to 515 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60654.

1) International opportunities plentiful for residents
The AMA-RFS is committed to informing medical student and resident/fellow members about opportunities to expand their medical experience through international electives. Foreign residency rotations enable resident physicians to become immersed not only in different modalities of medical care, but in the culture and traditions of each respective country as well.

Because of the prevalence of some illnesses in only certain regions of the world, international electives can expose residents to a greater variety of pathology and disease. Moreover, resident physicians can bring energy, resources and a new perspective to the medical care of the host country.

View a list of international opportunities.

2) Registration deadline for AMA-RFS meeting approaching
The AMA-RFS will hold its 33rd annual Interim Meeting Nov. 5–7 at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston. The deadline to register for the meeting is Oct. 4. Register and learn more about the meeting.

View a letter from AMA-RFS Governing Council Chair Baligh Yehia, MD, and learn about important activities and deadlines associated with the meeting.

The AMA-RFS Governing Council chair as well as 15 sectional delegates and alternates to the AMA House of Delegates will be elected at this meeting. The deadline to apply for these positions is today, Oct. 2. Visit AMA-RFS Web site for more information.

Take a more active leadership role at the meeting by becoming a convention committee member. Convention committee activities range from helping formulate AMA-RFS policy to planning social and networking events. Visit the AMA-RFS Web site for more information about the committees.

3) Participate in exciting media rotation with Discovery Channel
Residents and fellows are encouraged to apply for the AMA/Discovery Channel internship, a four-week program during which one AMA resident or fellow member will help develop a medical education program that will air on the Discovery Channel.

Available only to AMA medical student and resident and fellow members, this exciting opportunity provides hands-on experience in translating scientific data into an entertaining and informational program. The selected resident/fellow will work primarily at Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., and travel to relevant on-site and studio shoots for the program. A stipend of $3,000 will be provided to cover living expenses. Dates and length of the rotation are flexible.

4) Apply for a seat on the National Residency Match Program Board of Directors
The AMA is seeking candidates for two positions on the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Board of Directors.

Resident physician directors may serve a maximum of one two-year term. The NRMP Board of Directors has governance and oversight authority for the main residency Match and the Specialties Matching Service. It also ensures that all Match participants abide by the policies that govern those matches and informs the medical education community about trends in graduate medical education by conducting and sponsoring research using its Match outcome data.

All new members attend an orientation session in June. In addition, the board meets three times each year, usually in February, May and October. Board members also serve on one or more committees, which may entail additional travel if work cannot be accomplished by e-mail or telephone conference call.

Visit the NRMP Web site for more information about the Match program and NRMP policies.

Applications are due by Nov. 13. Visit the AMA-RFS Web site to access an application.

1) Call for nominations for the Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award
The AMA Foundation is accepting nominations for the Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award for Excellence in Volunteerism, which recognizes a senior physician who provides treatment to U.S. patients who lack access to health care. The award is part of the AMA Foundation's Excellence in Medicine Awards, which are presented in association with Pfizer, Inc.

The award will be presented at the Excellence in Medicine Awards banquet and special leadership program on March 1, 2010, in Washington, D.C., during the AMA's National Advocacy Conference. Nominations are due by Nov. 16.

View nomination materials. Contact Alice Reed at (312) 464-5523 or alice.reed@ama-assn.org if you have questions.

2) Early retirees struggle with gap in health coverage
No mattter what your retirement age is, you may start receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62. Seniors, though, need to wait until age 65 to be eligible for Medicare. Finding a way to bridge the gap, from being eligible for Social Security but not for Medicare, might be the hardest and most costly challenge for those who want to retire early.

Retirees can no longer count on their employers to provide health insurance until they became eligible for Medicare. Those without company-provided health insurance typically find individual policies prohibitively expensive, with premiums of more than $1,000 a month for family coverage.

Learn more about retirement planning.

Brought to you by the AMA Women Physicians Congress

1) Research shows women with atrial fibrillation to be at significantly higher risk of stroke and death compared to men
Even though the incidence of atrial fibrillation is higher in men than women, a review of past studies and medical literature completed by cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center shows that women are more likely than men to experience symptomatic attacks, a higher frequency of recurrences and significantly higher heart rates during atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke.

2) Be a volunteer judge for student, resident research poster symposium
Women physicians attending the AMA-WPC Caucus or the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates are invited to serve as judges for the AMA Resident and Fellow Section and Medical Student Section (MSS) Research Poster Symposium.

Judging will take place from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Hilton Americas Hotel, which is located next to the George R. Brown Convention Center. A reception will follow, and volunteer judges will receive a small token of appreciation.

Contact Katherine Torres-Hertz of the AMA-MSS at katherine.torres-hertz@ama-assn.org or at (312) 464-4742 if you'd like to volunteer. Provide your full name, mailing address, e-mail address and preferred categories for the MSS and/or RFS.

3) October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
With October observed as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, physicians are encouraged to check out the National Breast Cancer Awareness Web site for news, resources and other information about this deadly disease.

View the National Breast Cancer Awareness Web site.

4) Abstracts being accepted for American Medical Women's Association's poster abstract competition
Submit an abstract for the American Medical Women's Association's poster abstract competition, which will take place as part of Women's Health 2010: The 18th Annual Congress. The congress will take place March 26–28 in Washington, D.C.

Researchers are invited to submit abstracts about current and emerging issues in women's health, including basic science, clinical, translational, behavioral, epidemiologic, disparities and health services. The deadline to submit an abstract is Dec. 1.

Send an e-mail to whabstracts@gmail.com if you have questions about abstract submissions.

1) AMA-YPS meeting set for this fall
Sign up today to help represent the voice and vision of young physicians across the country at the AMA-YPS Interim Assembly Meeting, scheduled for Nov. 5-7 in Houston. With health care on the minds of so many patients and physicians, now is a great time to participate in the AMA-YPS.

The deadline to submit resolutions to the AMA-YPS and to volunteer for the section's reference, AMA-HOD handbook review or credentials committees is today, Oct. 2. Attendees must register for the meeting by Oct. 25.

Learn more about AMA-YPS committees and how to get involved.

Learn more about writing a resolution.

2) Be a volunteer judge for student, resident research poster symposium
Young physicians attending the AMA-YPS Interim Assembly Meeting are invited to serve as judges for the AMA Resident and Fellow Section and Medical Student Section (MSS) Research Poster Symposium.

Judging will take place from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Hilton Americas Hotel, which is located next to the George R. Brown Convention Center, where the assembly meeting will be held. A reception will follow, and volunteer judges will receive a small token of appreciation.

Send an e-mail to Katherine Torres-Hertz of the AMA-MSS at katherine.torres-hertz@ama-assn.org if you'd like to volunteer.

3) AMA Foundation seeks everyday heroes in medicine
Recognizing the extraordinary efforts of leaders in the medical community, the AMA Foundation honors those who go beyond the call of duty to improve the health of our nation with the Excellence in Medicine Awards. Presented in association with Pfizer Inc., the awards recognize a select group of physicians and medical students who represent the highest standards of volunteerism, public service and leadership.

Nominations are due Nov. 16. Learn more about how you can nominate a colleague.