Celebrating -- and reflecting on -- a year of principles

AMA Leader Commentary. By Cecil B. Wilson, MD, June 4, 2007.

AMA LEADER COMMENTARY

A few words about current events in medical practice

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A message to all AMA members from Cecil B. Wilson, MD, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees.

In the midst of a U.S. health care system in crisis, for the past year this column has focused on some of the immutable principles that provide direction for our profession. These are the constants, the guideposts if you will, in a sea of change -- change that all too often appears to have as its hallmark neither design nor reason. I believe we have a responsibility as physicians to be a force for design and reason as we seek needed reform of the health care system.

This last column is a summary of the year of principles.

Unity: The elemental force by which the disparate voices in the family of medicine join together in a unified voice speaking for America's physicians and the patients they serve. It is the critical ingredient in implementing decisions we arrive at through healthy debate followed by agreement on a course of action.

Integrity: Firm adherence to a code, especially a moral code, easy to understand and vital to maintain the honesty, reliability and legitimacy of medicine. Without it, there can be no workable patient-physician relationship. It is integral to our profession.

Partnerships (1): The leveraging of individual influence and effectiveness through working with others. This is an essential part of how the AMA works, particularly through the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement, joining specialty and state societies and others to promote our quality initiatives through development of evidence-based performance measures.